In a statement issued on September 21 Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili described the incident involving a mortar attack on South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali on September 20 as a provocation.
He said that “when the talks on a peaceful resolution to the conflict have entered a crucial phase and a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister and South Ossetian leader has already been planned, such a development of events was not in our interest.”
The Georgian Defense Minister did not rule out the possibility that this incident is linked with serious claims raised by the Georgian Parliament towards the Russian peacekeepers stationed in the South Ossetian conflict zone, “who are busy inspiring such provocations.”
“The Russian peacekeeping forces did not even protest when the armored vehicles appeared at the so-called ‘Independence Day’ [celebration] in Tskhinvali [on September 20]. They could not even secure the new commander of the Georgian peacekeepers in the conflict zone to take office,” the Minister said.
Authorities in breakaway South Ossetia barred newly appointed commander of the Georgian peacekeepers stationed in the conflict zone Paata Bedianashvili from entering the region on September 15. The South Ossetian side protested against Bedianashvili’s appointment, citing that he was “one of the key persons behind the armed clashes” between Georgian and South Ossetian forces last August.
Okruashvili said the Russian peacekeepers avoid all responsibility for the developments in the conflict zone. “If this continues, their activities in the conflict zone will become pointless,” the Minister added.
Irakli Okruashvili expressed support for setting up a joint investigation group under the aegis of the OSCE that will probe into the details of the incident, which caused injury to about ten people.
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