MEDVEDEV SAYS RUSSIA, ITS CLOSEST CIS ALLIES TO PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON GEORGIA

Rossiya TV
Sept 2 2008
Russia

[Presenter] The situation concerning South Ossetia and bilateral
economic cooperation have been the main subject of talks between
the Russian and Armenian presidents. Dmitriy Medvedev received Serzh
Sargsyan at his Sochi residence.

After expressing condolences over the death of peaceful civilians and
Russian soldiers, the Armenian president said that his country was
ready to receive South Ossetian schoolchildren to study in its schools.

The talks were held ahead of a summit of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization [CSTO, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan], whose chairmanship will be taken
over by Armenia. At the summit, which is being held in Moscow at the
end of the week, the CSTO members will formulate their single position
on recent events in the Caucasus.

[Medvedev, addressing Sargsyan] We have a CSTO summit coming
up literally in a few days’ time. Armenia is taking over the
chairmanship. I think we could consider how to organize work,
especially as we have not met since Georgia’s aggression against
South Ossetia. Let’s also discuss these difficult problems.

[Sargsyan] I would again like to express my condolences in connection
with the death of many people – Russian citizens, peacekeepers –
my regret that events have unfolded this way, and a wish for the
consequences of the humanitarian catastrophe to be dealt with as soon
as possible.

[Medvedev] Thank you, Serzh [patronymic indistinct], for the
humanitarian forms of support. As for everything else, including the
consequences of what happened – I mean our work in the CSTO format –
we will have a preliminary discussion about it now, but the final
position of the CSTO member states will be formulated during the CSTO
summit in Moscow.