Policy of Georgian authorities can result in a national catastrophe

[Harold F. Schiffman]

12:24 26.12.2006
Permanent news address: http://www.regnum.ru/english/758496.html

Policy of Georgian authorities can result in a national catastrophe: South
Ossetian community

A round-table discussion was held in the capital of South Ossetia,
Tskhinvali. The discussion titled Russian Vector of Georgian Policy in
Sociopolitical Coordinates of Caucasus was held at the office of the South
Ossetian branch of the Caucasian Institute for Democracy. Members of youth
movements, Georgian, Armenian and Russian communities in South Ossetia,
NGOs and reporters participated in the meeting. After the discussion, the
participants passed a statement. REGNUM publishes the full text of it:

For recent years, the Georgian-Russian relations have been characterized
by increasing tensions, causing anxiety and serious concern with peoples
of Caucasus. Georgian authorities are trying to switch attention of the
population from problems of poverty, corruption, economic crisis, which
are consequences of failure of their own policy, to artificially formed
images of enemies in the person of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,
representing the Russian Federation as the main source of all their
problems. Staking at force in its aspiration towards putting South Ossetia
and Abkhazia under its jurisdiction, Tbilisi has been involved in an
unprecedented militarization, concealing its provocations against South
Ossetia and Abkhazia by propagandist statements announcing their peaceful
intentions addressed to the West.

Rejecting the historic memory of good neighborhood and friendship,
Georgian leaders resort to the language of threats, establish an
unfavorable atmosphere and make null and void the years-long effort in the
conflict settlement. The policy pursued by Georgian leadership can result
in grave and unpredictable consequences for Georgia and the Caucasian
region in general. Saakashvilis aggressive policy makes suffer the whole
Georgian nation.  People are suffering colossal losses, being deprived of
an opportunity to trade with Russia. South Ossetian Georgians live in the
atmosphere of permanent fear expecting another provocation from Georgia.
Participants of the round-table discussion address the UN and OSCE
member-countries calling to condemn the dangerous Tbilisi policy aimed at
exacerbating the situation and aggravating hostility in Caucasus and to
take all measures in order to prevent from deterioration of the situation,
to give up intriguing and start solving the problems of the Georgian
people properly.

http://www.regnum.ru/english/758496.html
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