"THERE ARE MARKED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE CONFLICTS"
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[03:19 pm] 01 October, 2008
Both Russia and Georgia have ignored their commitments" CoE General
Secretary Terry Devis told a press conference today.
With regard to the Russian-Georgian conflict he reiterated his words
said at yesterday’s PACE session.
In general, Terry Devis disagrees to the wide-spread opinion that
Georgia and South Ossetia have always had some unsettled conflicts. The
CoE General Secretary says it doesn’t matter which of the sides was
the first to fire a weapon. Currently, the most important question
is to think of further steps.
I support the territorial wholeness of the CoE member-states,"
Mr. Devis said in view of Russia’s recognition of the independence
of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
In reply to a Serb journalist’s question why the CoE General Secretary
didn’t express the same opinion when Kosovo proclaimed unilateral
independence, Terry Devis reminded that he hadn’t endorsed Kosovo’s
unilateral independence. At the same time he noted that there are
considerable differences between Kosovo and other conflicts. South
Ossetia, Abkhazia and Karabakh greatly differ from Kosovo.