Государственное информационное агентство "Рес"

On 5-12 July, in Germany, the Council of Europe (CoE) is holding a youth "Peace Camp" on settlement and transformation of conflicts. Representatives of South Ossetia should have also participated. However, as the Chairperson of the Association of Young Journalists Irina Kelekhsaev told IA RES, the participation of representatives from South Ossetia and Abkhazia was rejected – the facilitators explained the refusal with the fact that "the Embassies of Germany and France found it impossible to issue visas to these participants".

Solid traditions of parliamentarianism had developed in South Ossetia to share experience in parliamentary activity with other states, stated the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity in his welcoming speech to the participants of the Round-table “Development of parliamentarianism – development of South Ossetia’s Statehood”, held in Tskhinval. We are building up normal relations. The agreements signed between the RSO Parliament and the State Duma of the Russian Federation set grounds for the development of our parliamentarianism”, stressed Kokoity.
”Today we should discuss not only the issues related to parliamentarianism, but also security, because the territory of South Ossetia is the Caucasus, the region with persistent security threats. We should do our best to ensure security and stability here”, emphasized the President.
Eduard Kokoity wished the participants a fruitful work.

Hasty decisions with adoption of a new Constitution of South Osseti and amendments introduced in the Constitution, are not always optimal, stated the Chairman of the RF State Duma for International relations Konstantin Kosachev who arrived in Tskhinval to participate in the Round-table “Development of Parliamentarianism – a successful development of statehood of the Republic of South Ossetia”. According to Kosachev, Russian MPs and experts were willing to offer to their South Ossetian colleagues with the Russian experience in constitutional development. “The essence of this experience in the fact that through a transitional period, when power institutions are just developing, hasty decisions in relation to adoption of a new Constitution, or amendments to it, are not always optimal.

A working meeting between the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity and hte Parliament Speaker Stanislav Kochiev. During the meeting, Stanislav Kochiev told the president about the results of his trip to Moscow, where he had meetings with Ambassadors of various states in the Russian Federation. According to the Speaker, he had meetings with the Ambassadors of Cuba, Nicaragua, Moldova, etc.

At the threshold of the visit of the US. President Barak Obama to Moscow, the mothers of the South Ossetian kept in Georgia addressed the US. President with a request to influence the Georgian authorities so that they release their children detained in Georgian prisons upon false charges.
“No matter where in the world human rights are violated, Barak Obama pays much attention to their observance. Mothers of the abducted persons do hope that even the Georgian authorities will listen to his opinion and the US. President will show his sympathy and will help with bringing the children back to their homes”, said David Sanakoev.
According to him, “13 South Ossetians are still in detention in Georgian prisons. Seven of them were declared missing by the Georgian authorities, though we have proofs, including video material, that these people are detained by the Georgian law enforcement bodies and that they are subjected to tortures. This was repeatedly voiced at the Geneva discussions”.

The Head of Information and Public Relations Department of the North Caucasus Military Command, Lt.-Col. Andrey Bobrun told IA RES about the "Kavkaz 2009" first stage activities.
According to him, "during the first phase, the units and detachments engaged in the exercise continue conducting activities on fortification of areas and preparation of armory and equipment for combat fire. The forces of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Fleet engaged in the "Kavkaz 2009" exercise are now at their permanent deployment locations ready for immediate action in accordance with received instructions. The marines had completed fortification of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Fleet units", reported Bobrun.

On 1 July 2009, the 6th round of talks on security and stability in the South Caucasus was held in Geneva. The discussions are held in accordance with the Medvedev-Sarkozy agreements and are aimed at elaborating measures to ensure stability in the South Caucasus and security in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The discussions were held in two working groups. Taking into consideration the remaining tension in the region and the security threats, the South Ossetian Delegation suggested discussing the complex of measures to ensure security of South Ossetia and prevent a new aggression by Georgia. During the discussion, an agreement was reached on the necessity to elaborate measures to build confidence between the sides and conclude agreements between South Ossetia and Georgia and Abkhazia and Georgia on non-use of force. Concerns over the continuing militarization of Georgia with the support of the USA and other states were expressed.

The sixth round of the Geneva discussion is ongoing. As the Special Representative for POst-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev told IA RES on the phone, "the discussion is difficult".
"The first working group is discussing security issues. Unfortunately, the document guaranteeing non-use of force has not been approved", said Chochiev. According to him, the discussion of this document started already in May. "In accordance with the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan guaranteeing security of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, we have suggested variants of agreement on non-use of force, however, we have not seen any proposals of the kind from the Geneva Co-Chairmen. In return, the Georgian side has presented an extremely cynical draft agreement on non-use of force between Georgia and Russia. These drafts are under discussion now."
"We have firmly raised the issue (which is now being discussed) on the format of the Geneva discussion, about the Chairmen, since the UN is no longer present in Abkhazia and the OSCE has been withdrawn from both Georgia and South Ossetia. Today, we have raised the issue of revising the Chairmanship format at these meetings", said Chochiev.

While opening the conference, the Minister of Defense of South Ossetia Yury Tanaev emphasized the importance of having events of this kind. "Since 1 August 2008, the Georgian-Ossetian relations dramatically aggravated. On the night of 8 August, Georgia shelled Tskhinval with all types of artillery targeting the residents of our Republic. The today's conference aims at analyzing the causes of the war and the course of the hostilities and shortcomings in the controlling of armed units", said the Minister.
The RSO President Eduard Kokoity, representatives of law enforcement and defense structures – the Interior Minister Valery Valiev, Chairman of the State Security Committee (KGB) Boris Attoev, Security Council Chairman Eduard Kotaev, participated in the conference.

From 29 June to 6 July 2009, in accordance with the Training Plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, strategic exercise of the North Caucasus Military Command "Kavkaz 2009" will be carried out under the supervision of the Chief of the RF Armed Forces' Joint Staff, Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, General Nikolay Makarov.
Staff of North Caucasus Military Command troops are engaged in the "Kavkaz 2009" exercise, as well as the interacting and subordinate structures of Air Force and Air Defense, the Caspian fleet, Novorossiysk Naval, Regional Border-guard Department of the Southern Federal District FSB, North Caucasus Regional Command of the RF Interior Ministry Internal Troops and Airborne Troops.
The "Kavkaz 2009" exercise will be conducted on the territory of Karasnodar and Stavropol krai, Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov oblast, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Chechnya.