Russian MFA Comments on Perevi

Russian Foreign Ministry said on December 19 that Russian troops retook the village of Perevi a week ago to prevent escalation of tension triggered by deployment of the Georgian forces in the area.

The Russian troops dismantled checkpoint in the village of Perevi at the South Ossetian administrative border and pulled back on December 13, but re-entered the village hours later.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on December 19 that because of “specificity of geographical location” of Perevi, it was necessary to exactly define South Ossetia’s border.

“As it was agreed at the EU-Russia summit in Nice [on November 14], such work has been done and after that the Russian [military] unit left Perevi,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “However, in a response the Georgian authorities undertook a new provocation and flooded Perevi with special task force – over 120 heavily armed fighters – in gross violation of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan and a mandate of EU Monitoring Mission, which is designed to prevent militarization of areas adjacent to South Ossetia by Georgia. Deployment of the Georgian special task force was accompanied by propaganda PR involving invitation of foreign journalists.”

It also said that the Russian Foreign Ministry was “surprised” by a statement of the EU’s French presidency on the matter saying that it regretted Russia’s moves in Perevi.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a response on December 19 that the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement was “a cynical document full of elements of Soviet-style propaganda and terminology.”

“Russia makes a brazen attempt to portray the white as the black and shift the blame to the Georgian side for all causes leading to escalation of the tension,” it said.

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