On 14 July 2011, the Day of a Peacekeeper is celebrated in the Republic of South Ossetia. On this day 19 years ago under the Agreement ‘About the Principles of Georgian- Ossetian Conflict Settlement’ signed in Sochi on 24 June 1992 by Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia and North Ossetia, a Peacekeeping force composed of three motorized infantry battalions from Russia, Georgia and Ossetia ( Joint Force on Maintenance the Peace) were brought in to Georgian- Ossetian conflict zone which facilitated in suspension of Georgian aggression against South Ossetia and became a guarantor of peace and calmness in the region for a long time.
Since then there have been a lot of appreciations of the peacemaking operation which was unique and did not have any analogues. At the beginning of 2004 the situation in the zone of Georgian-Ossetian conflict was appraised by many observers as ‘exemplary’- in the meaning of the peace they were ensuring and absolute integrity of the peacekeeping contingent. This result was achieved as a direct consequence of Russian Peacekeepers presence and by them there were Peacekeepers of the conflicting sides.
But M. Saakashvily came to power in 2004 and official Tbilisi started up the campaign for pressurizing the situation with South Ossetia and discrediting peacekeeping operation and Russian Peacekeepers. In August 2008, Russian Peacekeepers were among the first to take an attack of the Georgian troops and Georgian Peacekeeping battalion betraying its peacemaking duty was the part of them. Peacemakers` bases became the main and top priority aims and they were attacked by Georgian Army. In spite of .considerable losses Russian Peacekeepers, that all those years were guardians of peace, stayed at their post till the end and discharged their duty with honour. Only firm acts of the Russian Federation on compulsion the aggressor to peace saved the people of South Ossetia, Russian and Ossetian Peacekeepers from extermination.
Today in the Republic they have recollected the names of the fallen Peacekeepers. The activities began with the fallen Peacekeepers families’ visits, wreath-laying at the burnt and destroyed building on the territory of Russian Peacemaking battalion. The process of laying the first stone under the future Stele of Peace devoted to Peacekeepers took place in Mirotvortsev Street, Tskhinval.
Tskhinval, 14 July 2011