The situation around the borders of South Ossetia remains rather tense, and it is the Georgian side that deliberately creates this situation. The South Ossetian delegation said this at the next round of the Geneva discussions in early July. At the same time, the participants in the discussions noted that the situation in the Republic remained stable for the period since the last round, there were no excesses that could cause extreme concern.
On Tuesday, the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy of South Ossetia on post-conflict settlement, the head of the South Ossetian delegation, Murat Dzhioev, told reporters about the results of the 48th round.
The border construction
According to the Presidential Plenipotentiary on post-conflict settlement, Murat Dzhioev, in Geneva, the discussion participants identified three risk groups existing for security in general.
“The first is the efforts undertaken by the Georgian side to discredit the South Ossetian-Georgian state border and attempts to deliberately violate it,” said the Plenipotentiary and gave specific examples of this. “Another fact that drew the attention of the participants: in those places where the state border is equipped with engineering structures and there is no free crossing of the border, the number of violations is much less,” added Dzhioev.
The Plenipotentiary added, that the participants focused on the fact that the Georgian side continues the practice of inviting foreign distinguished guests to the state border, to the so-called “viewing platforms”.
Representatives of South Ossetia, according to Dzhioev, once again offered the Georgian side to sit at the negotiating table to designate the state border line.
Information war
The South Ossetian delegation called the information war against South Ossetia the second risk group.
“Georgia, taking into account its notorious law on the “occupied territories”, does everything so that foreigners do not visit South Ossetia and have an idea of our country only from the mouth of Georgia, they saw it only through the eyes of Georgia and heard through the ears of Georgians. Therefore, they do everything so that the international community receives information only from them. And taking advantage of the accessibility to all international tribunes, they create a negative, unseemly image of the Republic of South Ossetia,” the Plenipotentiary said.
Murat Dzhioev has reminded that the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions during the visit always have the opportunity to see the development of South Ossetia with their own eyes, and the real picture does not correspond at all to the statements of the Georgian side.
“During the last visit, we showed them a new theater, new buildings, improvement of streets and much more. In addition, we preserve traces of the “high Georgian culture”, remained in South Ossetia - these are holes in the walls of houses, shells, tank tower, etc.,” the Plenipotentiary stressed.
He has also reminded that South Ossetia is open to anyone who wants to get acquainted with the Republic, respects the people of South Ossetia, "let them come to our country along the only road through Russia."
“If Georgia recognizes the independence of South Ossetia, then maybe there will be international traffic from the south too. But so far, the road runs into our Republic only through Russia,” said Dzhioev.
NATO at the borders
The South Ossetian party linked the third risk group with the rapprochement of Georgia with NATO.
“This worries us, because NATO is arming Georgia, preparing its Armed Forces. Statements that Georgia’s cooperation with NATO is not directed against someone are not convincing for us, since experience shows that Georgia has repeatedly received military assistance from the West, which was later used against South Ossetia.
We have reminded them that in 2003, the US representative to the OSCE convinced us that the Georgian troops, trained under the American training and equipment program, would in no way be used against South Ossetia. But the events of 2004 showed the opposite,” the Plenipotentiary said.
In this regard, the South Ossetian delegation has stated that the rapprochement of Georgia with NATO, the creation and strengthening of its structures on the territory of Georgia, periodically conducted NATO exercises, are a threat to security for the region as a whole.
The next round of discussions is scheduled for October 8-9, 2019.
