Tbilisi Says Moscow Wants to Thwart Donors Conference over S.Ossetia

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said on June 1 that Russia’s recent provocation in the South Ossetian conflict zone are directed at thwarting an upcoming donors conference in Brussels, which is scheduled to discuss funding of economic rehabilitation programs in the conflict zone.

“Russia wants to stop the implementation of economic rehabilitation projects in the Tskhinvali Region [in breakaway South Ossetia] – which is one of the major tools in confidence building – by accusing Georgia of attempting to mastermind provocations and to resume the armed confrontation,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It is expected that donor countries will be asked to contribute EUR 10 million to fund infrastructure and economic rehabilitation projects which were proposed in an OSCE-led Needs Assessment Study.