On September 3, 2006 at 15:40 the air space of the Republic of South Ossetia was again violated. The helicopter proceeding from the territory of Georgia ignored repeated requests and demands to change the course or to land. When the helicopter opened an aimed fire from a machine-gun, it was fired back by the South Ossetian subdivision. It is being established to whom the aircraft belongs.
Unfortunately, violations of the air space by military aviation of Georgia, also fixed by the JPKF military observers, recently obtained a systematic provocative character. The Georgian side is ignoring repeated protests and warnings from the South Ossetian side and is openly violating all the earlier signed agreements, particularly, on unauthorized flights above the territory of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.
However, until today the military aircrafts violating the air space of South Ossetia did not use weapons against South Ossetia. The South Ossetian side, defying the provocations and trying to avoid new confrontation in the Georgian-Ossetian relations, was limited to warnings and appeals to the participants and mediators of the Georgian-Ossetian regulation process, at the same time was appealing to the common sense of the of the Georgian leadership.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia is expressing to the Georgian side an absolute protest and is appealing to all sides interested in peaceful resolution of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict to prevent further artificial glowing of the situation and it’s development towards a dangerous direction.
Tskhinval,
3 September,2006
