Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on July 11 that ?certain forces in Russia are preparing aggressive actions against Georgia? and called on Russian President Putin ?to restrain these forces.?
The Georgian President warned Russia that in the case that a large-scale armed conflict erupts in breakaway South Ossetia, ?it will not be an internal [Georgian] conflict; it will be a serious problem between the two countries ? Georgia and Russia.?
?The crisis in South Ossetia is not the Georgian-Ossetian problem. This is a problem between Georgia and Russia,? President Saakashvili said on July 11 while meeting with a group of ethnic Ossetians who were gathered at the President?s Administration office in Tbilisi to express their support towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
President Saakashvili once again denounced the statements adopted by the Russian State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, which condemned the activities by the Georgian authorities and further accused Tbilisi of ?destabilization of the situation in South Ossetia.?
?This is a provocative statement. Unfortunately this statement was proposed by the Russian parliamentarians who have close links with Kremlin,? the Georgian President said.
President Saakashvili also said that last night was “relatively stable” in the conflict zone.
?However, several Russian aircrafts violated Georgia?s airspace today [July 11,]? Saakashvili added.
Reports say that shots fired near the Georgian village of Tamarasheni were heard overnight on July 11; however no casualties were reported.
A total of seven Georgian servicemen have been wounded as a result of sporadic shootouts in the conflict zone since July 8.