Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Gogi Khaindrava, who is in charge of talks with the authorities in Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia, addressed parliamentarians on February 24 and briefed them regarding the recent developments in the conflict zone. He described the situation there as relatively clam, adding that there is currently “a pause” in the demilitarization and conflict resolution process.
In January President Saakashvili presented Tbilisi’s proposal over resolution of the South Ossetian conflict at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Shortly after this peace plan was unveiled, experts from the Venice Commission, which is the advisory body of the Council of Europe for constitutional issues, bacame involved in helping the Georgian side with the process of drafting a plan over South Ossetia’s status within the Georgian state.
But there are fewer developments on the ground in South Ossetia. State Minister Goga Khaindrava said, while addressing the parliamentary session on February 24, that the demilitarization process in the South Ossetian conflict zone, agreed upon during a meeting between the unrecognized republic’s de facto President Eduard Kokoity and late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania last November, has been halted.
“There is a pause [in the demilitarization process], the parties involved [in the conflict] are waiting for developments in the international arena, particularly, what Russia’s position will be, what the western countries’ position will be and what the outcome of the disagreements between us and Russia over certain issues will be. Relations between Russia and Georgia will largely determine developments in South Ossetia. The South Ossetian side does not undertake a single step without prior consultations with Russia,” Goga Khaindrava said.
The State Minister did not elaborate, but it is most likely that this “pause,” as he put it, will last for at least two more months. During a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Georgia on February 18, Moscow and Tbilisi agreed to set up separate working groups in an attempt to reach a breakthrough over a set of issues, which currently top the agenda of bilateral ties – conflict resolution issue being one of these issues. These working groups should prepare proposals within the next two months and submit them to the Russian and Georgian Presidents for consideration.
State Minister Goga Khaindrava also said that although “no shots have been heard recently” in the conflict zone arms delivery into the breakaway region still continues. He stressed that the tunnel at the Roki pass, which links South Ossetia and Russia, remains “a black hole” which serves as import route for arms from Russia into South Ossetia.
Khaindrava also said that there are agreements regarding South Ossetia which have been signed by the involved parties over previous years which enable the Georgian side to monitor the entire border of South Ossetia, including its border with Russia.
“But we are facing huge opposition from the South Ossetian and Russian sides to put these agreements into practice. But I think it is a very positive thing that these agreements, which have been forgotten in recent years, could resurface” Khaindrava stated.
“Of course I do not have an illusion that our customs officers will be deployed to the Roki pass soon; but I am sure that [by putting these agreements into practice] we can arrive at the situation wherein the Georgian side, together with the Russian and Ossetian [sides], will be able to at least monitor the situation there [Roki pass],” he added.
Goga Khaindrava also said, while speaking about agreements over South Ossetia, that the Georgian side should also follow the provisions of these agreements. He said that in certain cases the Georgian side has violated an agreement which prohibits the deployment of extra troops in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
“For example, the deployment of a training camp for the reserve forces in the village of Dzevera is a violation [of the 1992 peace agreement],” Goga Khaindrava said.
The reserve forces camp in Dzevera, which is located in the Gori district in central Georgia, just 10 km away from the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali, was set up last November. Only joint – Georgian, Ossetian and Russian – peacekeeping troops are authorized to be deployed in the conflict zone, according to a 1992 peace agreement. The agreement also defines the conflict zone as the territory that resides within a 15-kilometer radius from the center of the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali.
“These kinds of violations create problems for us. When the observers from the OSCE are denied entry into Dzevera to monitor the situation there, reports are written and sent to Vienna [the OSCE headquarters] immediately,” the Georgian State Minister said.
Khaindrava continued that if there are some provisions in the agreements signed by the Georgian side over the South Ossetian conflict issue which do not correspond with Tbilisi’s interests then “we should identify these provisions and start the process of annulling these provisions.”
“But while these agreements are in force, we should remain committed [to these provisions],” Goga Khaindrava said.