Minister: Tbilisi Failed to Reach out to S. Ossetians, Abkhazians

Georgian Justice Minister Nika Gvaramia admitted that Tbilisi had failed to reach out to Sokhumi and Tskhinvali before the August hostilities. He, however, blamed Russian obstruction for this failure.

Gvaramia was speaking after meeting a group of lawmakers from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). The group is visiting Tbilisi ahead of emergency debates on the Russo-Georgian war in late September and early October.

“We were asked an interesting question about what we would do differently if we could go back a year,” Gvaramia said at a joint press conference with the European parliamentarians. “Based on what we know now, we would do much more than we did.” 

“We failed to get our message through to our Ossetian and Abkhaz compatriots; it was basically caused by the Russian wall between us,” he continued. “But, at the same time, the members of this delegation should put this question to themselves. What happened was predicted by us and nobody took notice.”

During the meeting the justice minister briefed the parliamentarians on alleged ethnic cleansing, war crimes, bombings and the burning of Georgian homes.

The delegation, which arrived in Tbilisi from Moscow, also plans to visit Tskhinvali.