It became known that on May 3 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CMCE) made a decision concerning the agenda “the Council of Europe and the Conflict in Georgia” which in fact borders on the absurd. According to that decision, Russia at once became a party in Georgian-South Ossetian conflict and for that reason has to bear international legal responsibility for the excesses which allegedly happen on the ground. Besides, the U.S.
We paid attention to statements made by a representative of the UN Secretary General in which regrets are expressed about presidential elections and the referendum on resumption of the historic name “the State of Alania”, which from now on would be used alongside with the existing name of the state, that took place in the Republic of South Ossetia. The UN considers it as unilateral actions that could affect negatively regional security and undermine the GID.
Statements of Anna Fotyga, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defense (SEDE) of the European Parliament, representatives of the U.S. State Department and other institutions where they express “deep concern” over the presidential elections in the Republic of South Ossetia appointed for April 9 and the referendum on resumption of the historic name “the State of Alania”, which will be used alongside with current name of the Republic, diffused by the MFA of Georgia were not left without attention in South Ossetia.
March 24 saw the 34th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council adopting the Resolution on Cooperation with Georgia where the absolutely baseless alarm about “human rights and humanitarian situation in South Ossetia” and the impossibility of access of international observers to South Ossetia territory was stated. The document was formulated and submitted at the session by Georgia.
March 20 saw the parliamentary delegation of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) accompanied by the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality visiting Khurvaleti, a Georgian settlement located at the border with the Republic of South Ossetia.
The Agreement between the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation about the procedures for certain divisions of the RSO Armed Forces entry to the structure of Russian Armed Forces that is currently under preparation for signing caused strong feelings among Georgian political and public community as it allegedly violates “the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Georgia” and “destabilizes the situation in the region”.
South Ossetia paid attention to the tendentious and prejudiced resolution adopted by the U.S. Congress in support of the “territorial integrity” of Georgia. Once again, the bias position of the U.S. congressmen can be judged from the fact that they unreservedly support the position of Georgia and appeal to Russia to “call back recognition of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia”.
The statement made by Zurab Abashidze, the Georgian Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Relations with Russia, in interview to Starvision TV, in which he expresses his opinion that sooner or later Russia would call back recognition of the independence of South Ossetia, was perceived with certain irony in Tskhinval.
Q: A meeting of Grigoriy Karasin, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Zurab Abashidze, Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Relations with Russia, was held on February 7. Despite the fact that it was a regular meeting in this format, information about its outcome attracted public attention in South Ossetia. What are the reasons of that?
A referendum, where citizens will be able to express their opinion on the rebirth of the ancient name of their country, the State of Alania, will be held in the Republic of South Ossetia on April 9, 2017.
A lot of people in the world, and first of all in friendly countries, hail this decision as a most important act that shows a commitment of South Ossetia to the principles of the democratic system of a state, fundamental right of its people in an confirming the sovereignty and the historical continuity of their state.
The decision that was made by the European Parliament on February 2 about provision of visa-free regime to Georgia has caused a boundless euphoria among Georgian authority, which began to offer these benefits to “those citizens of Georgia who live in territories that are not controlled by Georgian central government – in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region”.
