Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said on July 20 that ongoing maneuvers of the 58th Army of the Russia?s North Caucasian Military District aims at ?mounting psychological pressure on the Georgian authorities.?
?But I assure you that we do not regard these maneuvers as being serious,? Okruashvili said while speaking in a late-night political talk-show on Rustavi 2 TV.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov said on July 20 that one of the goals of ongoing maneuvers in North Caucasus is to provide assistance to the Russian peacekeeping troops in case of need.
?No one believes that Russia will ever dispatch these troops to Georgia and even if it happens it will be disastrous for them [the Russian troops],? Defense Minister Okruashvili said.
?Military scenario of development there [in the South Ossetian conflict zone] will equal to catastrophe and first of all for them,? he added.
The Defense Minister also said that Georgia ?is in a state of propaganda war? with Russia.
?But Russia is not now in the position to easily win this war against us on the international arena,? Okruashvili added.
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