Georgia has warned that sending new Russian peacekeepers to breakaway South Ossetia via the illegally operating Roki border checkpoint may result in the speeding up of consideration of the overall necessity of the Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone.
According to the Maj. Gen. Marat Kulakhmetov, Commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) – made up of Georgian, Russian and Ossetian servicemen – 500 Russian soldiers entered into breakaway South Ossetia on May 30 from Russia’s North Ossetian Republic via the Roki Tunnel – a route which has always been used by Russia to rotate its peacekeepers for more than a decade already.
Tbilisi says that Russia should have sent its troops to Georgia’s breakaway region via the Kazbegi-Zemo Larsi border checkpoint, east of breakaway South Ossetia. Georgia considers the Kazbegi-Zemo Larsi the only legally operating checkpoint on the Russo-Georgian border. Tbilisi condemns the use of any other border checkpoints, in particular the Roki Tunnel and Gantiadi-Adler – in breakaway Abkhazia, and considers these checkpoints to be illegal, as those territories are under the control of the secessionist authorities.
In a statement issues on May 31 Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Giorgi Khaindrava said that Russia should explain its step, “otherwise I will push for the issue on whether it is expedient or not to prolong the presence of the Russian peacekeeping forces in the current peacekeeping operation.”
On February 15, 2006 the Georgian Parliament passed a resolution instructing the Georgian authorities to replace the current Russian-led peacekeeping operation in the South Ossetian conflict zone with “an effective international peacekeeping operation.” But the resolution set no timeframe, or deadline for the Georgian government.
The Georgian side has also protested against the ongoing rotation of Russian peacekeepers which are stationed in the Abkhaz conflict zone under the aegis of Commonwealth of Independent States.
Another complaint put forth by Tbilisi was that the Georgian side was not informed by Russia about this planned rotation of troops in the conflict zones.
But the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi reported on May 31 that both Russia’s intention to rotate its peacekeepers and the route the Russian military convoy would take was sent in advance to the Georgian side.
The absence of Georgian visas for the Russian peacekeepers is yet another source of protest for Tbilisi.
“Each so called ‘Russian peacekeeper’ entering the territory of Georgia without a visas issued by the relevant authorities is considered a criminal according to Georgian legislation,” the Georgian Ministry of Defense warned on May 30.
But Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov said on May 31 that the bilateral agreement with Georgia does not envisage the issuing of visas for the Russian servicemen who are deployed as peacekeepers in the South Ossetian conflict zone.
Statements condemning Russia’s decision to rotate its troops in this fashion were made separately by the Foreign and Defense Ministries, as well as by the State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues and Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli.
The Prime Minister described Russia’s move as “an act of impudence” and said on May 31 that “through this act Russia has demonstrated that it is not interested in bilateral agreements.”
