OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE TO VISIT ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
03.02.2010 17:24 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Secretary of State –
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev has
scheduled an introductory visit to Caucasus region.
On February 15-18, Kanat Saudabayev will visit Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia to meet with local leaders.
The visit aims at discussion of solutions to Karabakh and South
Ossetia conflicts.
The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in
1988 as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the
final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from
1991 to 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, NKR and
Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions of Azerbaijan
around it (the security zone) remain under the control of NKR defense
army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the
OSCE Minsk Group up till now.
The 2008 South Ossetia War, also known as the Russia-Georgia War,
was an armed conflict in August of 2008 between Georgia on one side,
and Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other.
The 1991-1992 South Ossetia War between Georgians and Ossetians
left most of South Ossetia under de-facto control of a Russian-backed
internationally unrecognised government. Some ethnic Georgian-inhabited
parts of South Ossetia remained under the control of Georgia. A
similar situation existed in Abkhazia after the War in Abkhazia
(1992-1993). The increasing tensions escalated during the summer
months of 2008. On 5 August, Russia vowed to defend South Ossetia.
During the night of 7 to 8 August 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale
military attack against South Ossetia, in an attempt to reconquer
the territory. The following day Russia reacted by deploying combat
troops in South Ossetia and launching bombing raids deep into Georgia.
Russian and Ossetian soldiers clashed with Georgian soldiers in
the four-day Battle of Tskhinvali, the main battle of the war. On
August 9th, Russian naval forces blockaded a part of the Georgian
coast and landed marines on the Abkhaz coast. Russian and Abkhaz
forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge, held by
Georgia and entered western parts of Georgia’s interior. After five
days of heavy fighting, the Georgian forces were routed, enabling the
Russians to enter uncontested Georgia and occupy the cities of Poti,
Gori, Senaki, and Zugdidi.
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, President Medvedev had already ordered a halt
to Russian military operations, but fighting did not stop immediately.
After signing the ceasefire agreement, Russia pulled most of its
troops out of uncontested Georgia, but established buffer zones around
Abkhazia and South Ossetia and also created check-points in Georgia’s
interior, (Poti, Senaki, Perevi).
On 26 August 2008 Russia recognised the independence of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia. Russia completed its withdrawal from uncontested Georgia
on 8 October, but as of 2009[update] Russian forces remain stationed
in Abkhazia and South Ossetia under bilateral agreements with the
corresponding governments. However, according to a number of European
and US sources, Russia has not fully complied with the peace agreement
because Georgia lost control of some of its territories.
A number of incidents occurred in both conflict zones in the months
after the war ended. As of 2010, tensions between the belligerents
remain high.
The OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) is the
world’s largest regional security organization whose 56 participating
States span the geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.
The OSCE is a primary instrument for early warning, conflict
prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation in its
area. It has 19 missions or field operations in South-Eastern Europe,
Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
On January 30, 1992, Armenia was accepted as OSCE member.