Russian MFA Critical of Saakashvili’s Choice of Venue for Peace Proposals

According to an information note issued on January 27 by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the settlement proposals voiced by Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili should have been first discussed with “interested sides within the existing mechanisms of settlement.”

“It is apparent, that taking into account continued tensions in South Ossetia, where the situation drastically deteriorated last summer following the attemtps by Tbilisi to solve the problem through force, it would have been more effective and correct to work through such far-fetched proposals together with interested sides in the framework of existing mechanisms for settlement”, the Russian MFA statement reads.

In this statement the Russian Foreign Ministry refers to the format of Joint Control Commission, which includes Russia, North Ossetia (Russia), South Ossetia and Georgia. The Georgian officials have repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the JCC as a settlement instrument.

Tbilisi considers Russia’s insistence on using the JCC as the only venue for discussions as an attempt to keep the process firmly in Russia’s hands and to portray Georgia as a co-equal side with its constituent part – South Ossetia.