Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia
Twenty-three years ago, November 23, 1989 on the outskirts of Tskhinval was stopped a march of tens of thousands of the Georgian extremists, organized by leaders of the nationalist movements, through complicity of the authorities of Georgia. The march to Tskhinval was aimed at intimidating the Ossetians that would have to be followed by their expulsion from the territory of South Ossetia. That plan of the Georgian nationalists was thwarted, however, those November days were a prologue to the long struggle of the people of South Ossetia for the right to life, liberty, and human dignity.
The repeated armed invasion by Georgian gunmen and army units in South Ossetia in 1990 - 1992, in 2004 and 2008 and their barbaric atrocities have cost the people of South Ossetia enormous victims and immeasurable suffering. Thousands of our fellow citizens have become the victims of the armed aggression and genocide carried out by different regime of Georgia over the past twenty years. The only possible way for the Ossetians to withstand and survive was to restore their independent statehood. Now the Republic of South Ossetia is a country that has obtained the international recognition.
In Georgia still do not want to recognize the current reality and continue to dream of revenge. Georgia's new authorities are camouflaging their intentions with regard to South Ossetia by rhetorical tricks, talking about the possibility of all sorts of bonuses and economic benefit to attract the Ossetians. The goal of Tbilisi has remained the same - to establish its control over South Ossetia.
Imperial ambitions, which have been nurturing in Tbilisi, are unrelated to South Ossetia. Georgia has never had a legal right to the territory of South Ossetia, which was included into the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922, against the will of the Ossetian people. By denunciation of all acts adopted in 1921, Georgia in 1990 completely destroyed any state-legal basis of staying of South Ossetia in its composition.
People of South Ossetia have repeatedly reaffirmed the will for independence at the referendums in 1992, 2001, 2006. South Ossetia's status is determined by its people and is not negotiable. Over 20 years, South Ossetia is an independent state; since 2008 it has won the international recognition. This objective reality is undeniable, and sooner or later, Georgia will also have to admit that.
If the new Georgian government really want to normalize relations with the Republic of South Ossetia, first of all, they must agree to sign a legally binding agreement on non-use of force, to accept responsibility for the genocide of the people of South Ossetia, to punish the perpetrators of crimes against our people andto make up for all the damage, caused to our country. Only on this basis can be established the good-neighbourly relations between the Republic of South Ossetia and Georgia. Any other ideas that seem enticing to new Georgian leadership will not be accepted by people of South Ossetia.
