Georgian Peacekeepers Detained in South Ossetia
Georgian State Minister for conflict resolution issues Goga Khaindrava said on July 8 that around 50 Georgian peacekeepers, deployed in the South Ossetian conflict zone, were disarmed and detained by the South Ossetian side overnight on July 7-8.
?They were taken to Tskhinvali [capital of self-styled South Ossetian Republic]. We regard the detained Georgian peacekeepers as hostages that are in the hands of Kokoev?s [South Ossetian de facto] regime,? Goga Khaindrava told Rustavi 2 television on July 8.
Russia has already rejected any links with the incident. Spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Vyacheslav Sedov told Russian news agency RIA Novosti on July 8, that Russian peacekeepers have nothing to do with detention of the Georgia peacekeepers.
Reports say that South Ossetian militia groups are deployed in several Georgian villages in the region of South Ossetia.
?We have information that in the village of Vanati [populated by ethnic Georgians], South Ossetian armed groups are carrying out search operations in attempts to find weapons there,? Khaindrava said.
The State Minister said that the situation in breakaway South Ossetia is alarming, but ?we are capable of dealing with this problems.?
?This is a provocation and the Georgian government will do everything in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation,? he added.
