State Minister: Tbilisi is Following its Demilitarization Commitment

Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava said at a news briefing on December 14 that the Georgian side is following its commitments to disarm the South Ossetian conflict zone, adding that only Georgian peacekeeping forces are currently deployed in conflict zone.

?None of the Georgian military fortification in the conflict zone pose a threat to the Ossetian villages. All these fortifications are located around the Georgian villages and aim only at protection of these villages,? Giorgi Khaindrava said.

He also denied South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoev?s statement regarding Tbilisi?s plans to renew hostilities in the conflict zone.

During his visit to Moscow on December 8, Eduard Kokoev said that ?the Georgian side plans to renew the armed confrontation in the region, which will be even fiercer than the previous one.?

?Such statements aim at torpedoing the demilitarization process in the South Ossetian conflict zone. I declare that the Georgian side is meeting the commitments undertaken in Sochi [wherein talks between Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Eduard Kokoev took place in early November]. Not a single unauthorized Georgian serviceman remains in the conflict zone. We have only peacekeepers there,? Goga Khaindrava said at the news briefing.

The State Minister also dismissed accusations by the South Ossetian side that Tbilisi violated the demilitarization agreement by deploying reservist forces training base in the village of Dzevera, which is in the conflict zone.

?To train reserve forces is Georgia defense policy and we have these kinds of training bases in several parts of Georgia,? Goga Khaindrava said.