Jana Amelina, Head of the Caucasian Studies Sector under the Russian Institute of Strategic Researches
In adopting a resolution on Georgia, in which South Ossetia and Abkhazia are called the "occupied territories", the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as before the U.S. Senate and European Parliament, has demonstrated its partiality, inadequacy and reluctance to understand the current realities. However, it is not a sin, for a hundred and the first time, to repeat for those who are slow on the uptake: South Ossetia and Abkhazia are the sovereign states; their independence was recognized by leading members of the international community.
They do not consider themselves to be the "occupied territories" and are those ones neither de facto nor de jure. Russia has been providing the young republics military, financial and other assistance within the frames of the bilateral agreements. The picture for the international law is absolutely trivial and requires no further explanation.
Simultaneously, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly calls on the Russian Federation, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia, for some reason, which the first three states have nothing to do with, to "provide an opportunity for the EU Monitoring Mission to enter the occupied territories freely." This request can only cause confusion, since, as mentioned above, any "occupied territories" are not existing in principle. If we are talking about South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the issue of access to these states by any foreign mission is falling within the exclusive competence of Tskhinval and Sukhum. The action of the OSCE mission in South Ossetia before the August war has ruled out its returning to the RSO. Judging by recent statements and actions of the Abkhaz leadership, Abkhazia is not in need of it, too. Maybe the Europeans will think about- why?
With regard to the "forced displaced persons", bluntly speaking, the Georgian refugees from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, whose fate also touches the OSCE, everybody, who had the right and the opportunity to return to their homes, had done it long ago. The rest would have raised their claims to the Georgian leadership, which had disabled them. In any case, this issue will be addressed by the leadership and population of the young republics, but not by the compassionate aliens, looking from their European beauty distant, from where they, alas, are seeing nothing, and most importantly - do not understand and do not want to understand.
