Государственное информационное агентство "Рес"

As of today, NATO exercise has started in the neighboring state of Georgia. The attitude of the South Ossetian authorities has been expressed by the RSO Foreign Minister Murat Djioev.
"We have already expressed out attitude towards the NATO exercises which are starting today on the territory of neighboring Georgia. Our attitude is in the stance that NATO exercises are of direct threat to security in the region. We consider them as open demonstration of NATO's support to Georgia's militarism. Recently, in August 2008, Georgia committed armed aggression against South Ossetia, the results of which are still visible. The relations between South Ossetia and Georgia are still unsettled. Under these circumstances, when Georgia provides with no guarantees of non-use of force against its neighboring states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, conducting these exercises means demonstrating Georgia's aggressiveness", stated the Minister.

A round-table on "Dynamics of development of democratic institutions in the Republic of South Ossetia through the first year of its recognition is held today in Tskhinval. The round-table has been organized by the RSO Human Rights Commissioner David Sanakoev in collaboration with the Center for Monitoring of democratic Processes "Quorum". As reported by David Sanakoev "representatives of executive and legislative branches of RSO are participating in the session, as well as representatives of South Ossetian and Russian NGOs, political scientists, European experts and journalists".

Concerning the breakdown of the preparatory meting for 18 May round of Geneva talks scheduled for 5 May
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia expresses its sincere regret in relation to the fact that the working meeting of the Geneva talks Co-Chairmen with the authorities of South Ossetia to prepare the next round of Geneva talks failed to take place on 5 May 2009 in Tskhinval as initially scheduled due to the Co-Chairmen’s unconstructive position. This position has been proved with the letter received by the RSO MFA from the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Charlampos Christopoulos stating that after having consultations the Geneva Co-Chairmen decided to cancel the meeting since due to “security reasons they could arrive in Tskhinval only from the Georgian side and exclusively by vehicles of OSCE Mission to Georgia or UN Mission to Georgia.

The meeting of working groups within the frames of the incident prevention mechanism schdued for today was cancelled because of the Georgian side and the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), reported the Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev.

The situation remains tense. This is how the RSO Interior Minister Valery Valiev characterized the current state of affairs in South Ossetia
"The events not happening in Georgia cause special concerns. Certainly, for the law enforcement bodies the situation in South Ossetia is more important, but the situation in the proximity to our borders also remains in the limelight", said the Interior Minister.

Russian border-guards had presented the population in South Ossetia with another holiday in May, RSO president Eduard Kokoity told journalists in Tskhinval. "Russian border-guards arrived in South Ossetia after the 30 April agreement signing and are now settling down. I would like to emphasize the professionalism of Russian border-guards. The first few days of the group which arrived in South Ossetia and their contacts with the population are worth praising," he said.

On the territory of Vanat village, an ammunition cache was found at approximately 6 p.m., reported the RSO MoD Press-service.
"A reconnaissance team of the RSO MoD found an ammunition cache in a Georgian house near the village school: MON-50 and MON-90 anti-vehicle mines and other large-caliber projectiles", says the press-service report.
"Currently, SO law enforcement investigation crew and deminers are working at the spot".

In accordance with the inter-state treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia on joint border guarding, the Russian Border-Guards entered upon their duties in South Ossetia. This has been reported by head of Regional Border Guard Department of the RF FSB in South Federal District Nikolai Lisinski at the press-conference in Tskhinval.

The President of RSO Eduard Kokoity is receiving the RF official delegation headed by the Chairman of the Audit Chamber Sergey Stepashin. The delegation includes also the Minister for Regional Development Viktor Basargin, the Deputy EMERCOM of the RF Ruslan Tsalikov and other officials. As the RSO President noted in his opening speech, "many construction sites had been already rehabilitated" thanks to joint work of the RF and RSO.
"Your assistance give us hope that the consequences of the Georgian aggression will be eliminated in the nearest future", stressed Kokoity.

An agreement between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia on joint guarding of the state border is to be signed, reported the RSO MFA. "The South Ossetian delegation headed by the RSO President will depart for Moscow tomorrow. On 30 April, the signing ceremony of the agreement on joint guarding of state borders will be held within the frames of the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the RSO", says the RSO MFA.