Georgia’s South Ossetia contacts separatist regions in former Soviet Union

Interfax-AVN military news agency web site
22 Jul 04

Moscow/Tskhinvali, 22 July: The South Ossetian foreign ministry has
made permanent contacts with the foreign ministries of other
unrecognized republics, Abkhazia, the Transdnestrian Moldovan republic
[Dniester region] and Nagornyy Karabakh, due to the escalating tension
in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.

“We need regular contacts to supply the public with objective
information about the developments in Tskhinvali and to gain military
support if necessary,” South Ossetian foreign minister Murad Jioyev
told Interfax by telephone on Thursday [22 July].

“Nearly all volunteers, who had come to South Ossetia, left but they
would return as need be,” he said. “I must stress though that
Tskhinvali wants a peaceful settlement of the crisis and is ready to
continue negotiations.”

“OSCE intermediaries in the conflict zone should be more active and
objective,” he said. “The OSCE pays almost no attention to our
statements on the Georgian breach of agreements.” South Ossetian
representatives may soon meet with head of the OSCE Mission in Georgia
Roy Reeve, the minister said. [Passage omitted]