Abkhazia and South Ossetia made their sovereign choice back in 2008, after the regime of Mikheil Saakashvili tried to forcefully return one of these republics to Georgia and threatened the other with similar actions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin noted in the interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, commenting on the statement of the Georgian Prime Minister I. Kobakhidze that his government “intends to return Abkhazia and the Tskhinval region to the country.”
According to Galuzin, the reaction in Sukhum and Tskhinval to these statements speaks for itself.
“As we understand, the Georgian authorities have learned a lesson from this criminal adventure and are aiming at the “return” of Abkhazia and South Ossetia through peaceful means,” he said. “First of all, it’s about the Georgian “reintegration” programs and initiatives, the main one of which is “Step to a better future,” the Deputy Minister has noted.
He has added that South Ossetia and Abkhazia have repeatedly expressed their negative attitude towards the attempts to “dilute” their sovereign status and bring them under the Georgian jurisdiction, noting that the only “step towards a better future” would be recognition of the independence of these countries.”
“For our part, we also believe that the prerequisites for normalization in the Sukhum-Tbilisi-Tskhinvali “triangle” will appear after Georgia accepts the existing realities and is ready to build relations with the republics based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests, - Galuzin has noted. “In this regard, the key importance is the signing of the legally binding guarantees of the non-use of force between Georgia, on the one hand, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia, on the other one, as well as resolving the issue of delimiting the border between them with subsequent demarcation.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister has emphasized that all these topics are the subject of discussion within the framework of the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia.
“This format provides a unique opportunity to maintain an equal dialogue and find common ground between the official representatives of Tbilisi, Sukhum and Tskhinval through the international mediation.
We are in favor of intensifying the work within the framework of the International Geneva Discussions. I know that the Abkhazians and South Ossetians are ready for this,” Galuzin said.
