Georgian Foreign Minister Protests Arms Deliveries to S. Ossetia

Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said on January 18 that delivery of Russian arms to the South Ossetian conflict zone through the Roki tunnel, which links breakaway South Ossetia with the Russian Federation, still continues.

?It is alarming that in spite of our insistent requests to suspend the delivery of Russian weapons to the conflict zone, such facts still take place,? Gela Bezhuashvili told reporters.

Recently, a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system and a mobile radio station belonging to the Defense Ministry forces of breakaway South Ossetia was confiscated by the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF). The anti-aircraft system was installed in the village of Dmenisi and was found after a monitoring operation carried out by the JPKF, involving the Georgian, Ossetian and Russian peacekeepers, and OSCE observers on January 13-14.

The Georgian Minister said that there are some more anti-aircraft gun systems in the Tskhinvali region.

?We know about it; Russia itself struggles against it, but still this armament enters the conflict zone through the Roki pass. We will protest against such facts on an official level,? Bezhuashvili added.

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