South Ossetia Denies Having Links to Child Abduction

Special Affairs Minister of breakaway South Ossetia Boris Chochiev denied the allegations of the Georgian Interior Ministry about a link between officials of the unrecognized republic and the abduction of 11-year-old Geno Petriashvili.

?This is a typical position of the Georgian side ? to blame South Ossetia for everything? There are no political motives behind this abduction,? Boris Chochiev told RIA Novosti news agency on August 22.

In a statement issued on August 21, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said that ?the abduction of Geno Petriashvili [from the S.Ossetian conflict zone] is directly linked with the South Ossetian law enforcement agencies and Russian peacekeeping forces.?

Chochiev said that Spartak Petriashvili, the father of abducted boy, has  business relations with both Ossetians and Georgians, and apparently this abduction is linked to his business activities.  Spartak Petriashvili reportedly runs several fuel stations.

Chochiev also stressed that even the Georgian media reported that the car driven by the kidnappers had Georgian license plates.

?There is no need to look for political [motives behind this incident], the Georgian side would do better to deal with its criminals,? Chochiev added.

The South Ossetian official said that he is personally in charge of the search operations, which involve South Ossetian law enforcers and Russian peacekeepers. ?But no trace of the abducted child has been found yet in South Ossetia,? Chochiev said.

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