The Embassy of South Ossetia in Russia, on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the entry of peacekeeping forces into the Republic, sent a press release to all diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow, as well as to the Georgian interests section at the Swiss Embassy, the press service of the diplomatic department reports.
The Embassy has reminded that on July 14, 31 years ago, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Federation, the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) were introduced into South Ossetia, designed to stop the bloodshed perpetrated by the Georgian authorities against the Ossetian people, who used their legal right to decide their own historical fate.
"Starting from 1989, the leadership of Georgia, with the support of the nationalist forces that came to power, tried to resolve the political conflict between South Ossetia and Georgia by force, and with the slogans "Georgia is for Georgians", proceeded to mass terror of the civilian population of South Ossetia. Brutal repression and extermination residents of Ossetian villages and in Georgia itself were exposed," the document says.
The Embassy has added that during the aggression of Georgia against South Ossetia, in the period from 1989 to 1992. about 1 thousand civilians were killed, which is over 1% of the population of South Ossetia, more than 3.5 thousand civilians were injured, which is more than 3.5% of the population of South Ossetia, 117 Ossetian villages were destroyed. About 1,000 civilians of the Ossetian nationality living in the interior regions of Georgia were killed; about 120,000 civilians of the Ossetian nationality became refugees.
"In accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide of December 9, 1948, the acts committed by Georgia were qualified by the Parliament of South Ossetia as genocide of the Ossetian people," the press release says.
Only on July 14, 1992, on the basis of the agreements reached within the framework of the Agreement on the Principles of a Peaceful Settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian Conflict, signed in Sochi on the initiative and active participation of the Russian Federation, on June 24, 1992, a mixed peacekeeping force was introduced into South Ossetia in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.
"Over the following years, the peacekeepers were honorably fulfilling their noble mission until the next Georgian aggression against South Ossetia in August 2008, when on the night of August 8, the Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia. The Georgian peacekeeping battalion also took part in this criminal action, which violated order, left the subordination of the general command and took an active part in the killings of its colleagues - Ossetian and Russian peacekeepers. 15 Russian servicemen were killed, most of the peacekeepers, who were in the Upper Town were injured, "the diplomatic department noted.
The document has also noted that in August 2008 the peacekeepers were forced to carry out tasks that were not typical for them. Instead of separating the opposing sides, they had to fight for survival. In the history of peacekeeping operations, such a treacherous and massive attack on peacekeepers has not yet been recorded. The servicemen of the JPKF, who have been guarding peace on the land of South Ossetia all these years, remained at their post until the end.
The peacekeeping operation in South Ossetia, with the participation of a mixed peacekeeping force under the auspices of Russia, is considered one of the most successful peacekeeping missions in the world in terms of its effectiveness, and its experience is applied in the settlement of other conflicts.
