U.S. Questions Russia’s Peacekeeper Role

The U.S. Department of State said in a statement on July 14 it was “deeply troubled by Russia’s statement that its military aircraft [had] deliberately violated” Georgian airspace.

“Such actions raise questions about Russia’s role as peacekeeper and facilitator of the negotiations and threaten stability throughout the entire region,” it said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry admitted on July 10 that Russian aircraft had flown a sortie over Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia on July 8 to “cool hot heads in Tbilisi.”

The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said in a statement early on July 14 that Russia’s actions “are only inflammatory and complicate diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.”

“The United States is dismayed by the recent escalation in violence in the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and calls upon all sides to return to direct negotiations and resolve their differences peacefully,” the U.S. embassy said. “We are deeply troubled by Russia’s statement that its military aircraft deliberately violated Georgia’s internationally recognized borders by flying over Georgia’s region of South Ossetia.”

“We urge all members of the international community, including Russia, to support Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, as called for by numerous U.N Security Council resolutions, including most recently UNSCR 1808 in April 2008. The United States fully supports and is actively engaged in the Friends of the Secretary General process and believes that the efforts of the Friends group will lead to a settlement of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”

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