Государственное информационное агентство "Рес"

Conservatism and stereotyped thinking in foreign policy – factors, which caused frustration among many states and international organizations inflexible in their response to the changed political realities. An example of such sluggishness – the persistent unwillingness to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the support to "the territorial integrity" of Georgia, which throughout the post-Soviet period had no control over these republics. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia and Abkhazia became de-facto independent states, and in 2008, they sovereignty was recognized by Russia.

"We deeply appreciate the efforts of the Russian diplomats who raised before the OSCE a question about recognition of South Ossetia", stated to the RES Agency the South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Djioev commenting on the statement by the RF Permanent Representative to the OSCE Anvar Azimov.

The trial on the case of Fatima Margieva, a citizen of South Ossetia, charged with illegal acquiring and keeping of arms and explosives will take place within two weeks, reported to RES Agency the acting Supreme Court Judge Mukhar Kokoev.
The judge specified that currently Margieva is kept in the pre-trial detention facility of the Interior Ministry of South Ossetia.

Under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) a meeting on preparation of coordination mechanism for persons unaccounted for since the hostilities in South Ossetia in August 2008 and after was convened in Geneva. As David Sanakoev, Human Rights Commissioner, in his phone conversation with RES Agency, the meeting was a step forward in the process of clarifying the fates of people missing in the hostilities in August 2008.
"The meeting participants exchanged lists of missing persons. The South Ossetian side has raised a number of questions, which are now under discussion", reported the HR Commissioner.

The president of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity held a meeting with top officials of law enforcement structures. RSO Prime Minister Vadim Brovtsev and Head of President’s Administration Arsen Gagloev have also participated in the meeting.
The discussion mainly focused on drug traffic problem on the territory of South Ossetia. As Interior Minister Valery Valiev emphasized in his report, currently there are no heavy drugs, such as heroine, in the republic. “I can tell for sure that use and purchase of these drugs takes place outside the republic. However, here the production and used of drugs made of poppy seeds are frequent here”, said Valiev.

The newly elected President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich will be more cautious in his practical actions than declared in his pre-election campaign, said the Head of the RF Duma Committee for International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev while visiting Tskhinval and responding to journalists' questions whether there was any possibility that Ukrainian President Yanukovich might recognize South Ossetia. "I think no one can give an answer to this questions now, including Yanukovich himself, though it might sound paradoxically", underlined Kosachev. "There is a common understanding that the election campaign always differs from the real policy. We are now entering an interesting period when the elected president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich starts the implementation of the declared election program, and we still have to understand and see how consistent Yanukovich is in his practical steps". Commenting on the recently signed agreement on cooperation between the Party "Yedinaya Rossia" and the political movement of the former Georgian Prime-Minister Zurab Nogaideli "For Just Georgia", Konstantin Kosachev stated: "We are not idealizing Mr.Nogaideli and his party. We agreed on this cooperation since we deem it necessary that the dialogue between politicians, and through politicians, between the peoples of Russia and Georgia should continue, and we should not be taken hostage by the destructive and deadlock policy imposed by the president Saakashvili. It is crucial."

Konstantin Kosachev, the Head of the RF State Duma Committee for International Affairs, visited South Ossetia. In Tskhinval, Konstantin Kosachev met with the Speaker of South Ossetian Parliament Stanislav Kochiev, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Political Party "Yedinstvo" Zurab Kokoev, Deputy Prime-Minister of South Ossetian Government Domenty Kulumbegov and other officials. While opening the meeting, Stanislav Kochiev expressed the gratitude for the attention paid to SOuth Ossetia and its problems.

It has been almost two years that the residents of Leningor district of South Ossetia are not getting Russian gas transited through Georgia. This issues has been discussed at the last round of Geneva talks on security in the Caucasus. As Boris Chochiev, the Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement, reported to RES Agency, there were no real steps taken by anyone, including international organizations, to settle this humanitarian problem.

Today, the South Ossetian President's Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev met with the ICRC Mission representative Gilles Hansoul. As Boris Cchochiev reported to Res Agency, the discussion focused on the issues related to the meeting in Geneva on missing citizens of South Ossetia between representatives of South Ossetia and the ICRC. "The meeting in Geneva is held upon the initiative of the ICRC. Today we agreed on the date for this meeting in Geneva, since we expect the CoE Commissioner Tomas Hammarberg to arrive in South Ossetia on the same dates in February", said Chochiev.

The Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev and Head of Protection Department of the ICRC mission in South Ossetia Gilles Hansoul discussed the results of the meeting in the ICRC Headquarters in Geneva on 27 January 2010, which took place between the SO Human Rights Commissioner David Sanakoev, Deputy Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev and Deputy Head of Operations OP_East Djordje Drndanski.