The current water crisis in the South Ossetian conflict zone should be resolved through ?reciprocal moves? by the Georgian and South Ossetian sides, Russian Ambassador in Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko said on June 6.
The breakaway South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, has been without water for thirteen days. Nearby Georgian villages are also suffering from water shortages. Moscow and Tskhinvali have blamed Tbilisi, but the latter claims that the South Ossetian side?s refusal to cooperate on water pipeline rehabilitation is the cause of the problem.
?This is a humanitarian problem. It is inhumane to leave people ? I mean both Ossetians and Georgians ? without water in such hot weather conditions? And I think resolving this problem will help to increase confidence between the sides,? Ambassador Kovalenko told Georgian reporters in Batumi.
He also said that there were only two sides in the conflict – Tskhinvali and Tbilisi; thus reiterating Moscow?s position on the Tbilisi-loyal provisional administration, led by Dimitri Sanakoev.
?These two sides should resolve the conflict through negotiations,? the Russian diplomat added.
Russian chief negotiator for South Ossetia Yuri Popov is expected to arrive in Georgia on June 6. He plans to meet officials in Tbilisi and Tskhinvali in an attempt to defuse tensions in the region.
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