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Patriotic lexicon
Georgia refuses the “Ossetian side”
Yesterday, Georgia demonstrated its determination to unilaterally change the status quo in the frozen South Ossetian conflict . President Mikheil Saakashvili was personally present at the government meeting, where it was announced the creation of a commission to determine the status of the former autonomous region, which declared independence 17 years ago. This commission will be headed by Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli.Tskhinvali flatly refuses to cooperate in this commission. And Russia, as the main mediator in resolving the conflict , does not see any prospects for the pro-Tbilisi “interim administration of the Tskhinvali region” led by former South Ossetian Prime Minister Dmitry Sanakoev . However, this does not bother the Georgian authorities. It was with Mr. Sanakoev that President Saakashvili proposed that all members of the Georgian government conduct “serious, without formalism” negotiations. Moreover, he proposed to “strike out the concepts of “Georgian side” and “Ossetian side” from the vocabulary. Mikheil Saakashvili believes that we can only talk about territory temporarily not under the control of the Georgian center. South Ossetia will be offered republican status within Georgia.
The Georgian president calls the Sanakoev administration “partners from the other side” who “represent one part of the population of Georgia, the majority of ethnic Ossetians.” It is not yet known how long the new commission will function. It is possible that foreign experts will be involved in its work.
“This commission will not bring anything good, but will only complicate the situation,” Boris Chochiev, co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission (JCC), Minister of Special Assignments of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia, told Vremya Novostei. - Our President Eduard Kokoity has long proposed to jointly develop a settlement program. But we did not see constructivism from Georgia. Do you know why Mikheil Saakashvili needs this commission? If he resorts to a forceful solution, he will be able to say: I tried, I did everything for a peaceful solution, and it is not my fault that I had to act by force.”
Boris Chochiev said that the issue of holding a meeting of the JCC in Tbilisi is being discussed, but Tskhinvali agrees to meet on the territory of the Russian Embassy, and Tbilisi proposes the OSCE office. “We don’t understand why Tbilisi is against the building of the Russian Embassy; Russia is the main guarantor of peace and stability in the conflict zone,” he said. The South Ossetian delegation is afraid for security reasons to hold a meeting anywhere other than the Russian Embassy: the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has long declared the leaders of South Ossetia, including Mr. Chochiev himself, outlawed.