Zakharova Blames Former Georgian Government for 2008 War
On August 8, Russian Foreign Ministry published its spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comment on the 16th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war using this opportunity to reiterate propagandistic accusations against Tbilisi and accusing the then-Georgian UNM government and then-President Mikheil Saakashvili of starting the war. According to her, “on the night of August 8, 2008, Mikhail Saakashvili’s regime breached all international agreements on peaceful settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict and began a full-scale military operation against South Ossetia.”
Zakharova says that the President Mikheil Saakashvili’s “criminal adventure” “left Russia no choice but to conduct an operation to force the aggressor to peace and later to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.” She adds that the recognition of the occupied territories “ensured the right” of people living there “to preserve their national identity.”
In the statement, Zakharova also speaks of the Geneva International Discussions established after the war and says that under the framework, “it has been possible to maintain relative calm on the borders of the three states and to deal swiftly with the hotbeds of tension that arise there.”
The statement reiterates that the participants of the discussions “should make a greater effort” towards concluding a non-use of force agreement between Tbilisi, on the one hand, and Sokhumi and Tskhinvali, on the other.”
It also claims that the stabilization of the situation requires the start of the delimitation of “state borders” and subsequent demarcation process between Tbilisi, Sokhumi and Tskhinvali.
According to Zakharova, such “objectives are becoming increasingly relevant” as she blames Washington and its allies of “making more attempts to make use of inter-regional contradictions with an obvious purpose to heat the situation near Russian borders.” She adds that “Westerners” “in their desire to annoy Russia ignore the interests of the states in the region, jeopardizing their safe and decent existence.”
The statement concludes with expressing Russia’s readiness to “continue interaction with those who by default cannot be indifferent to the destiny of the South Caucasus, including through all-round assistance” in developing a dialogue between Tbilisi, Sokhumi and Tskhinvali.
Also Read:
- 07/08/2024 – Ruling Party Accuses UNM of Treason in 2008 War, Threatens Legal Consequences After Elections
- 26/06/2024 – Zakharova: Russia is Ready to Support Endeavors to Restore Georgian-Russian Relations
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
