RUSSIA IS NOT AGAINST OSCE PRESENCE IN S CAUCASUS-CHIZHOV
ITAR-TASS
May 18 2009
Russia
MOSCOW, May 18 (Itar-Tass) – The issue of security in the South
Caucasus will be discussed at the Russia-EU summit in Khabarovsk,
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the European
Communities Vladimir Chizhov said during a video bridge between Moscow,
Khabarovsk and Brussels on Monday.
"The situation in the South Caucasus will be discussed both in
connection with the aftermath of the Georgian aggression against South
Ossetia and Abkhazia and in connection with other regional aspects,
including Nagorno Karabakh," the diplomat pointed out.
Touching upon the situation with observers of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the region, Chizhov
noted that it "is not causing optimism." "Russia is not against the
OSCE presence in the region," he said. "We support this presence,
but on the conditions acceptable for all the sides involved in the
conflict. I mean the creation of two administrations present in Georgia
and South Ossetia, the consultations continue," the diplomat stated.
Touching upon the implementation of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan, Chizhov
noted that it "has been successfully implemented in the part concerning
Russia." "If questions arise regarding its fulfilment, they should be
referred to the Georgian side," he stressed. "Thus one of the clauses
envisages the pullout of the Georgian forces to their permanent base,
but instead we observe concentration of the (Georgian) forces in the
areas adjoining South Ossetia," the official stressed.
"The recent tricks of the Georgian side have impaired the work of
the adjusted mechanisms for the prevention of incidents," Chizhov
indicated. "The meeting that was held in the border village Ergneti
in late April was apparently the last, because the second one never
took place," the RF ambassador to the EU noted.
The second meeting of officials of Russia, South Ossetia, Georgia and
the European Union on the normalisation of the situation in Georgia’s
border region with South Ossetia was disrupted through Georgia’s fault,
a representative of the command of the Russian military base in South
Ossetia told Itar-Tass earlier.
"The planned for today (May 7) second four-sided meeting on matters
of preventing incidents in the border zone has been indefinitely
postponed due to unconstructive position of the Georgian sided," he
said. "The Georgian side, contrary to the earlier reached agreement,
refused to hold this meeting in its territory in the Ergneti village
near the border with South Ossetia, but proposed to hold it in the
city of Gori located far from the border. This proposal for a number
of reasons, including security considerations, was not satisfactory
to the South Ossetian side that refused to go to Gori," the Russian
military base official explained.
"Thus the second four-sided meeting on the normalisation of the
situation in the Caucasus has been indefinitely postponed through
the Georgian side’s fault," he said.
First Deputy Chief of Russia’s Land Troops Main Staff,
Lieutenant-General Sergei Antonov told Itar-Tass on May 5 that the
second quadripartite meeting was to be held in the Georgian territory
near the South Ossetian border. He represented Russia at the first
meeting that was held on April 23. Antonov noted that pursuant to
the agreement reached on April 23, quadripartite meetings on the
normalisation of the situation in the region should be held at least
twice a month or as often as may be necessary.
On the night from 7-8 August 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale
military attack against South Ossetian territory. The following day
Russia reacted and deployed combat troops in South Ossetia. Russian
and Ossetian troops clashed with Georgians in the three-day Battle for
Tskhinval, the largest battle of the conflict. Russian naval forces
blocked Georgia’s coast and landed ground forces and paratroopers on
the Georgian coast. After five days of heavy fighting, the Georgian
forces were ejected from South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
After mediation by the French presidency of the European Union,
the parties reached a preliminary ceasefire agreement on 12 August,
signed by Georgia on 15 August in Tbilisi and by Russia on 16 August
in Moscow. On 12 August, RF President Dmitry Medvedev had ordered a
halt to Russian military operations in Georgia. After the signing
of the ceasefire Russia pulled most of its troops out of Georgia
proper. However, "buffer zones" were established around Abkhazia and
South Ossetia and Russia created checkpoints in Georgia’s interior
(Poti, Senaki, Perevi).
On 26 August 2008 Russia recognised independence of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia. Following international agreements, Russia completed its
withdrawal from Georgia on 8 October. As of 2009 Russian troops remain
stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia under bilateral agreements
with the regional governments. Georgia considers Abkhazia and South
Ossetia "Russian-occupied territories."