Claims of Georgia to control the border crossing between South Ossetia and Russia are unfounded and contrary to the Russian-South Ossetian interstate relations. It has been reported to IA "Res" by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia, Murat Dzhioev, commenting on the position of Tbilisi at the negotiations on Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). "The Georgian authorities did not want to acknowledge the reality that South Ossetia and Abkhazia - are not the parts of Georgia, but the independent states and Russia is building relationship with them within the framework of international legal regime. There is a border crossing point between Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia and claims of Georgia to any form of control are completely groundless. I hope, this fact will be taken into account at the future negotiations on Russia's entry into the WTO", - said the Foreign Minister of South Ossetia. He has pointed out that there were constant attempts of the Georgian authorities to take every opportunity on putting pressure on the neighboring states - South Ossetia and Abkhazia. "That's why so long and hard the Georgian authorities have been politicizing the issue of their consent, as a member of the WTO, on Russia`s entry into this international organization", - Dzhioev has added. It should be noted, that Georgia insists on establishing its control over the movement of people and goods across the border between Russia and South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as a mandatory condition of its consent to the entry of Russia into the WTO. Switzerland, acting as a mediator at the Russo-Georgian talks on this issue, has proposed to introduce the system of international monitoring of movement of goods and commodities at the border between South Ossetia and Russia and also the exchange of relevant information between Moscow and Tbilisi.
