The 18th anniversary of deployment of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) in the Zone of Georgian-Ossetian conflict is marked today in South Ossetia. The people and the authorities of the Republic of South Ossetia highly appreciated and objectively assessed the peacekeeping operation considering it as a unique example. For the people of South Ossetia, 14 July became a holiday since 1992. The trilateral peacekeeping forces were deployed in the zone of conflict on 14 July 1992 at the height of Georgian aggression.
The population of South Ossetian received them with flowers and tears in their eyes. The long war brought Georgia to a grave social, economic and political situation and that made the Georgian authorities agree on starting the negotiations resulted in quadrilateral agreement (Russia, Georgia, North and South Ossetia) signed 24 June 1992 in Sochi – Agreement on the principles of the settlement of Georgian-Ossetian conflict.
According to this agreement, the peacekeepers have been maintaining fragile peace in the zone of Georgian-Ossetian conflict for 16 years and appeared to the only guarantor of non-resumption of hostilities.
This is how it was. And then, in 2004 after Saakashvili coming to power in Georgia, the official Tbilisi launched a campaign against the image of the peacekeeping operation and the Russian peacekeepers. In August 2008, the Georgian aggressors rained down their attack at the Russian peacekeepers, and hence, violated the 1992 Agreement. After that, Moscow had to conduct a combat operation on forcing Tbilisi to peace. Unfortunately, the double-standard policy hampered true assessment of the Barbarian actions of the Georgian authorities. Russia and South Ossetia concluded an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual support on 17 September 2008 and the Agreement on joint efforts for border protection of 30 April 2009. The peacekeepers significantly contributed to achieved independence of South Ossetia. Currently, the RF 4th military base is deployed in South Ossetia and its further development is ongoing.
