Concerns Raised Over Possible Flare-up of Violence in Tskhinvali

Georgian authorities and the US delegation at the OSCE Permanent Council express concern regarding the appearance of the heavy armaments in Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry in the statement issued on February 3 saying the Russian side moved the heavy military equipment, including the artillery, armored personnel carriers and the tanks to Tskhinvali, capital of the self-styled South Ossetian Republic. The statement says Russia’s actions violate of the European Conventional Arms Treaty.

In a statement to the OSCE Permanent Council January 30, Deputy Head of the US Delegation at OSCE Douglas Davidson said, “the United States shares the concerns expressed by other delegations here today over the reports of heavy weapons, including artillery, in a military depot in the Tskhinvali region that apparently belongs to the Ossetian battalion of the Joint Peacekeeping Force.”

“The United States reiterates its full commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia,” US diplomat said.

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested the Russian side “to give explanations to these activities and take relevant steps, but these requests were unsuccessful”.

The Russian Defense Ministry strongly rejects claims that heavy military equipment is entering South Ossetia from the Russian territory, while the defense ministry of the self-declared Ossetian government refused to comment on this issue.

The Georgian government claims that movement of the heavy military equipment and arms for the Ossetian police force started last week. Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, member of the Parliament of Georgia and personal representative of the President of Georgia in Georgian-Ossetian conflict issues, confirms this information.

MP Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, Georgian President’s personal envoy for the Ossetian conflict settlement told Civil Georgia on February 4 that arms buildup has started after a statement of the member of the Russian State Duma Council (lower chamber of the Parliament) Anatoli Chekhov, regarding Georgia’s intention to take over the breakaway region with force. “There is no other way to bring weapons to Ossetia [than from Russia]” Rcheulishvili states.
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Rcheulishvili also said that the statement of the Duma’s member is groundless. “Such statements might further escalate tensions in the regions. Georgia supports only the peaceful settlement of the conflict,” he said. Rcheulishvili added that there is no threat to safety of the ethnic Georgian population.

The tensions in the breakaway region escalate for the second time in the past four months. Last October de facto authorities of South Ossetia protested against the launch of the anti-crime operation in Georgian controlled Shida Kartli region (South Ossetia is the part of this central Georgian region). South Ossetian de facto government was alarmed with Georgia’s possible intention to restore the country’s territorial integrity under the guise of anti-criminal activity

The conflict in Ossetia is frozen since 1992, when the sporadic violence in the area led to a loss of control over the region by the Georgia’s central government. As a result of peace process, the control has been partially restored in several villages populated by ethnic Georgians. At the moment Georgian, Ossetian and Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the area to guarantee the peace in the region.

Many experts think that situation in the conflict zone has deteriorated significantly in last two years. Former Parliamentary Chairman Zurab Zhvania says, “In 1997 and 1998 the conflict was basically settled on the people’s level. We only had to confirm the conflict resolution politically, but we have lost this absolutely unique opportunity.” 

Last December Georgian President appointed MP Vakhtang Rcheulishvili as his personal representative for the Ossetian conflict settlement, hoping to re-animate the peace process and speed up the conflict resolution.

On February 5 Rcheulishvili will meet with the Russia’s North Ossetian President Alexander Dzasokhov, but as Rcheulishvili said, the issue of movement of the Russian military equipment in South Ossetia will not be discussed at this meeting.

“The meeting will be dedicated to discussion of the conflict resolution issues. I expect this meeting to be very fruitful. I believe that the conflict must be resolved only through the negotiations. This year is declared as a year of trust between Georgians and Ossetians,” Rcheulishvili said.

Rcheulishvili also plans to visit Moscow in the nearest future to discuss situation in Tskhinvali region.

By Tea Gularidze, Civil Georgia