Russian Envoy Slams Resolution on Peacekeepers at OSCE

Speaking at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on February 16, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the OSCE Vladimir Voronkov said that the resolution of the Georgian Parliament on situation in breakaway South Ossetia and peacekeeping forces stationed there “indicates, that Georgia might take path leading to destabilization in the region.”

In a statement, posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s web-site in Russian, Vladimir Voronkov said that Moscow hopes the Georgian executive authorities will now show meticulous approach to the issue.

“This decision of the Parliament [February 15 resolution] speaks of revision of the 1992 Sochi agreement [a legal base for presence of peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia]. But, revision of agreement is possible only with the participation of all sides of the treaty. Russia has signed 1992 agreement [which is a bilateral treaty between Russia and Georgia]. It is only possible to withdraw from the agreement unilaterally,” Russian diplomat Voronkov said.

“I deem it necessary to reiterated once again that the Russian side will continue to act in accordance with its international obligations and also with its own responsibility to maintain stability and security in the region,” he added.

The Russian diplomat also reiterated Moscow position that the only “effective mechanism” for negotiations in case of the South Ossetian conflict is the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC).

“We call for an urgent meeting of its [JCC] co-chairmen for agreeing a joint program of actions on resolution of the conflict. Proposals voiced by [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili at the 59 UN General Assembly Session [in 2004] and [South Ossetian leader Eduard] Kokoity’s initiatives voiced in December [2005] can become a bases for this [joint program of actions],” the Russian diplomat stated.

He reiterated Russia’s position that so called peace plan, which Tbilisi describes as “the OSCE-approved peace plan” does not exist.

Tbilisi, which claims that the OSCE Ministerial Council unanimously supported Tbilisi’s peaceful plan over resolution of the South Ossetian conflict last December, at a ministerial summit in Ljubljana.