Georgian MFA: Russia’s Statement on S.Ossetia Unclear

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said on March 24 that in case of establishing a strict border and customs control over the Roki tunnel, the Georgian side is ready to realize the idea of creating a favorable economic zone, which will include Alagiri district of North Ossetia, entire territory of South Ossetia and Gori district of Georgia.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry commented on the recent statements of Mikhail Kaminin, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, describing them as “unclear.”

The Georgian Foreign Ministry claims that Kaminin tried to put a different interpretation on concrete allegations of certain officials, referring to Russian Prime Minister’s aide Genady Bukaev, who said at a joint session of governments of the unrecognized republic and Russia’s North Ossetian republic on March 22 that the Russian leadership has made “a principled decision” on unification of breakaway South Ossetia with the Russian Federation’s North Ossetian Republic.

In the interview with Interfax news agency Kaminin explained that  Bukaev meant creation of favorable economic zones.

“Those documents, which the Russian side invokes to justify this session, rule out solution of such issues without the Georgian side’s participation. Therefore, the discussion of the above-mentioned issues by the subject of the Russian Federation with the self-proclaimed government of the separatist region, in full disregard for the Georgian side, presents yet another unfriendly step from the Russian side,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

The Georgian side claims that during the consultations over these issues, the major negotiating parties are Georgia and the Russian Federation, not their administrative-territorial entities.

At the same time, the Georgian side has never called into question the necessity of duly reflecting the interests of the Tskhinvali region’s population in regional economic projects.

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