Georgia 2008 Daily Chronology
Friday 17 October 2008
A U.S. guided missile destroyer docked in the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti for a goodwill visit, the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said Thursday. The USS Barry (DDG-52) will be met by Georgian government officials, including representatives of the Defense Ministry and the local administration. The warship is expected to leave the South Caucasus country on Monday.
The war between Georgia and Russia in early August drove more than 130,000 Georgians from their homes as they fled bombing, shelling and looting. Two months later, most of them have been able to return, but tens of thousands are still living in shelters or with relatives because they cannot go home. Elene Khaduri, age 69, comes from the village of Kurta in South Ossetia and tells a harrowing tale of having to flee with other older people. "All the Georgian villages in the territory of South Ossetia were destroyed by fire. Then we had to escape. The older couple asked me to take them along and another 63 year old man came also. We were hiding and went through the forest and we slept in the forest," she said.
The parliaments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been given permanent observer status in parliamentary sessions of the Russia-Belarus Union State. Now the lawmakers of the two new-born republics will have the right to address parliamentary assembly sessions of the union state.
TRUD, under the headline ‘Russia won the war with Georgia. What for?’ is trying to look into the positive and negative sides of victory in the ‘Five day war’. The paper cites as positive factors the strengthening of Russia’s strategic position in the Caucasus, the clear demonstration that Russia is serious about defending its interests, the push forward that the war gave to Russia’s sluggish armed forces reform and the unprecedented unity of people and government in Russia. As for the negative ones, the paper names the damage done to Russia’s international image, the decline in foreign investment (which could have been caused not by the war but by the financial crisis), an emergence of another ‘hot spot’ on Russian borders and the new necessity for Russia to come to terms with the occasionally erratic political behaviour of the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Thursday 16 October 2008
A delegation of Pentagon officials is still in Georgia trying to understand why the U.S.-trained and equipped Georgian army was defeated in just two days last August. Some in-depth analysis on how the U.S. could have prevented Russia from flattening the Georgian army was presented last week by the former Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Michael W. Wynne. “We could have flown Global Hawks or U2s on the Russian-Georgian border to signal our watchfulness to the Russians. We could have escorted these assets with F-22s, which fly at a high enough altitude to operate in defence of unmanned assets, or can operate to defend key assets in Georgia,” Wynne told online defence journal DoD Buzz.
The European Union's "Georgian camp" scored a small victory, forcing the EU to delay resuming talks on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Russia by at least another month. A final summit declaration adopted by EU leaders says the bloc's foreign ministers will revisit the issue on November 10, by which time the European Commission will also have completed an "audit" of the EU-Russia relationship. Poland, Britain, Sweden, the three Baltic states, and the Czech Republic had wanted the talks -- suspended on September 1 to protest Russia's military action in Georgia -- to remain on ice until at least November 14, when the next EU-Russia summit is scheduled. However, France, Germany and Italy are promoting a speedy relaunch of the talks after Russia complied with the ceasefire deal to withdraw its troops from security zones in Georgia. Italian Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi went a step further. "I feel that Russia is a Western nation. My project is that, in the coming years, the Russian Federation can become a member of the EU," he said.
Wednesday 15 October 2008
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, at a press briefing at the US Mission Geneva, said "Russia is not yet in full compliance with all of the ceasefire of August 12th. As you remember, that ceasefire, particularly point five, sentence one, calls for all Russian forces to be pulled back to their lines prior to the outbreak of hostilities on August 7th/8th. The only Russian forces that are supposed to remain in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are the peacekeeping forces in the numbers previously set. So this requirement has not yet been met but we hope it will be."
Russia chose to shift the focus to the international deliberations scheduled to start in Geneva on the future of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on October 15. Foreign Minister Lavrov openly courted controversy by saying Russia insists representatives of both provinces be granted "full representation" at the talks. “The document signed by both the Russian and French president states that international discussions on the conflict will start on October 15th. The participants in the talks are not listed in the documents, but we have made it clear that both South Ossetia and Abkhazia must have fully-fledged roles in the discussions. The security and stability of the region are set to top the agenda,” Lavrov said.
"On October 15, there must no longer be a single Russian soldier on positions beyond where they were before August 7," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Tbilisi on 09 September 2008. "Either it is done, and in that case each side has kept its word, or it is not done, and then five days later Europe will draw the consequences." The agreement signed by Medvedev and Sarkozy did not contain any stipulation that Russia withdraw to preconflict positions, a demand previously mentioned by Western states.
Russia plans to raise the issue of imposing an arms embargo on Georgia at talks scheduled for October 15 in Geneva, the Russian foreign minister said. "We will discuss, above all, ways to prevent aggression, and most importantly, the task of the demilitarization of Georgia," Sergei Lavrov said at a Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Moscow. Russia circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an embargo on arms sales to Georgia, after the United States announced measures to rebuild the South Caucasus country's military.
Talks aimed at easing tensions between Georgia and Russia have broken down. But international sponsors say they have just hit a snag and will resume next month. Everybody is putting a brave face on these short-lived talks. The United Nations, European Union and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which are mediating, adamantly reject any suggestion of failure. Johan Verbeke speaks during a press conference after a closed meeting of the Caucasus talks in Geneva, Switzerland, 15 Oct 2008 They prefer to call the walkout by the Georgian and Russian delegations a procedural snag. Special U.N. Representative to Georgia Johan Verbeke says no one should dramatize what happened.
The major sticking point, which led to the breakdown, appears to have been over Georgia's two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Georgian and Russian delegations differed over the role they should play in the negotiations. Russia, which recognizes both territories as independent states, objected to the exclusion of the South Ossetian and Abkhaz representatives from the talks.
The International Court of Justice ordered Russia and Georgia to defend civilians in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The UN's highest court called on both sides to protect the population from ethnic violence. The court's orders are binding, but it has no way of enforcing them. Georgia had asked the court to order Russia to protect ethnic Georgians, but the judges ruled that South Ossetian and Abkhazian civilians were also at risk. Court President Rosalyn Higgins said ethnic Georgian, South Ossetian and Abkhazian populations remain vulnerable.
Friday 10 October 2008
The world's stock markets lost 15 to 18 percent of their value in the past week. The paralyzed credit markets and warnings of a global recession led to panic selling in markets around the world. The G7 nations pledged to take decisive action to support systemically important financial institutions and prevent their failure, provide robust protection for retail bank deposits, and assure financial institutions are able to raise needed capital. This was a G7 meeting, of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, without Russia. Later in the day, finance officials from the G7 nations met with their counterparts from Russia, China, India, Brazil and a number of developing countries.
President Medvedev said he supports the idea of calling an urgent G8 summit to discuss measures to overcome the world economic crisis. The meeting could be attended by China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and "maybe, several more nations," he said.
Russia has fulfilled all its commitments under the ceasefire deal for Georgia, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said. "We have done all that was expected of us, we have fulfilled all the commitments we undertook," Medvedev said in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Georgia claims that Russia will not be in compliance with the ceasefire deal until it pulls its troops back to positions held before August's five-day war. Moscow, which plans to station some 7,600 soldiers in the two rebel regions, says its withdrawal from the buffer zones means it is already in compliance with the terms of the ceasefire.
Thursday 09 October 2008
The full withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the buffer zone between Georgia and South Ossetia has been completed, with all Russian checkpoints closed. The peacekeepers left the territory within seven hours in broad daylight so that European observers could witness the process. There were two hundred of them at the territory adjacent to South Ossetia. Their mission is to maintain peace and stability in the area. According to Tbilisi, Georgian police will also be patrolling the territory.
Sunday 05 October 2008
Russian peacekeepers are dismantling more of their checkpoints on the Georgian side of the security zone on the Georgian-South Ossetian border. Moscow had promised to complete the withdrawal by the October 10 as part of the Sarkozy-Medvedev plan agreed by all sides involved in the conflict. They include the post in Nadarbazevi, about 50 kilometres north-west of the capital Tbilisi. The peacekeepers have apparently been seen taking down their flags and loading military equipment into trucks. The Georgian Interior Ministry says Russian forces have also fully pulled out of the village of Ali, near the town of Gori. Russian forces on the Georgian side of the buffer zone are set to be replaced by European monitors.
Thursday 02 October 2008
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe started discussions on whether to refuse Russia the right to vote at the January session unless it annuls its recognition of Georgia's rebel regions. PACE resumed on Thursday discussions on the consequences of the mid-August war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia. Russia recognized the republic, along with Abkhazia, as independent states after the conflict. A draft PACE resolution has been drawn up, and is set to be adopted after several amendments have been proposed. The vote will be held later. One amendment, submitted by Cypriot parliamentarian Christos Pourgourides, proposes that the assembly "deprive the Russian and Georgian delegations of their right to vote at the January session if the countries do not implement recommendations put to them." Georgia would have to pull its troops back to pre-conflict positions, and Russia would have to annul its recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Senior German and Russian officials are meeting in St. Petersburg, with Russia seeking to show business is back to usual in the wake of the Georgia crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier are participating in the talks, as is Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Germany is Russia's leading European trade partner, with exports to Russia jumping more than 20 percent in the first half of this year to reach $22.3 billion. Russia exports to Germany reached $23.5 billion during the same period.
Merkel and Medvedev are discussing Russia’s initiative of a new legally binding treaty on collective security in Europe, which was put forward by President Medvedev in Berlin in June. The idea of a new European collective security policy is largely a result of U.S. plans to base missile interceptors in Poland, which, according to Russia, will harm the balance of power in Europe.
There will be no new Cold War - the statement was made by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the St Petersburg Dialogue Forum in Russia. He said it is as impossible as bringing back the Berlin wall. NATO countries have sent a message signalling their deteriorating relations with Russia, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told reporters after his meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in St. Petersburg. There are certainly no grounds for a new Cold War, Medvedev stressed. “But in terms of the overall worsening of the international atmosphere, the worsening of bilateral relations, this is of course possible, and NATO nations have given us a certain signal in this respect,” he said.
Wednesday 01 October 2008
The European Union has begun deploying civilian monitors in Georgia, despite earlier threats by Russia to bar them from buffer zones near Georgia's two breakaway regions. The 200-plus-member peacekeeping team deployed Wednesday, entering the Russian-declared zone around South Ossetia at several points. Russia has agreed to withdraw all its forces from Ossetia, as well as those near a second breakaway territory, Abkhazia, by October 10. Initally Russia said it would bar the monitors from entering the buffer zones. Witnesses later said monitors were allowed into the Ossetia zone after being stopped briefly at a Russian checkpoint.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said the government would allot an extra 80 billion rubles ($3.13 billion) next year to buy new weapons and partly offset Moscow's losses during a brief war in Georgia. The Caucasus events once again demonstrated the importance of our work on strengthening the combat-readiness of armed forces," Putin told a government meeting. "It is envisaged to allot an additional 80 billion rubles to purchase new military equipment and weapons and to deploy our troops where we consider it expedient to do so.... The talk is also about partial compensation of the losses caused by military actions in the Caucasus and... the purchase of new equipment. These losses must be offset by... new capabilities of our defense industry."
NATO bases in Ukraine and Georgia, if deployed, would threaten Russia's strategic military and economic infrastructure, the Russian Security Council secretary said. In an interview published in the Izvestia newspaper Wednesday, Nikolai Patrushev described the U.S. and NATO policy of increasing their military presence in Eastern Europe as seeking strategic military superiority over Russia. "Georgia and particularly Ukraine could, if they joined the alliance, become a suitable foothold for large ground, air and naval units equipped with high-precision and tactical nuclear weapons," Patrushev said.
Tuesday 30 September 2008
Russia's military says European Union peacekeepers will not have immediate access to the buffer zone surrounding South Ossetia when their mission in Georgia begins Wednesday. A spokesman for Russian forces in South Ossetia, Vitaly Mauchko, told reporters Tuesday the monitors can patrol up to the southern limit of the Russian-controlled security zone. Russia had already said it will refuse peacekeepers access into South Ossetia itself, or into Abkhazia. Moscow has recognized both regions as independent states, rather than Georgian territory.
Monday 29 September 2008
The Bureau of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) hasn’t supported sanctions against its Russian members following the conflict in South Ossetia, says the head of Russia's delegation, Konstantin Kosachev. Earlier, 24 PACE members called for the suspension of Russia's powers in the Assembly. “All the participants of the meeting were against any sanctions in respect of either the Russian or the Georgian delegation. Those who signed the draft resolution have put the Assembly in an uncomfortable position,” Kosachev said.
Saturday 27 September 2008
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed U.S. "unipolar" policies in Iraq and Afghanistan and said they contributed to the recent conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi over Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia. Addressing the UN General Assembly, Lavrov said that the U.S.-led war in Iraq had delivered a painful blow to global anti-terrorism measures. He also questioned the NATO-led efforts in Afghanistan to fight Taliban militants. "The illusion of a unipolar world confused many. For some people, it generated a desire to make an all-in stake on it. In exchange for total loyalty they expected to receive a carte blanche to resolve all their problems by any means," Lavrov said. "The all-permissiveness syndrome that they developed went rampant, out of all possible control, on the night before 8 August when the aggression was unleashed on South Ossetia."
Wednesday 24 September 2008
The first group of European Union observers has arrived in Tbilisi to monitor the situation in the region after the recent conflict with South Ossetia. The 33 Italian representatives came by a special flight from Rome. They will monitor the Georgian territories, bordering South Ossetia.
A Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) delegation, which is trying to assess the state of Russian-Georgian relations, has arrived in Tbilisi. They had already spent two days in Moscow and called on Russia to set up a commission to investigate events in South Ossetia.
The Ukrainian president condemned Russia's "armed annexation" of Georgia's breakaway regions and said his country would not recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Speaking at the UN General Assembly session, Viktor Yushchenko said: "Ukraine strongly condemns the violation of Georgia's territorial integrity and the sanctity of its borders, and the armed annexation of its territory." Yushchenko said the use of force and the resurgence of Cold War-era rhetoric have caused deep concerns in Kiev and "pose a potential threat to Ukraine and other regional states."
Talks of a surprising new alliance have appeared in the turbulent world of Ukrainian politics. The once fierce political rivals, the Yulia Timoshenko bloc and the Party of Regions, are now considering an alliance. Despite cautious scepticism, the Yanukovich-Timoshenko collaboration seems as the most likely outcome for experts in Ukraine. For President Yushchenko it could be threatening, as should these two parties team up, they can gain a constitutional majority and turn Ukraine into a parliamentary state with no president.
Russia's permanent mission at the NATO headquarters in Brussels urged the military alliance on Wednesday to stop hindering the work of the Russia-NATO Council. NATO has cancelled plans to hold a Council meeting to draft a new model for European security, previously scheduled for September 24. The meeting was called by Russia. "The Russia-NATO Council was formed as a mechanism for political dialogue on current and especially urgent issues of European security," the Russian mission said in a statement. "We regret yet another display of capricious politics and call upon our partners to take this matter seriously," the statement went on.
Tuesday 23 September 2008
Russia's Foreign Ministry says Georgian claims that one of Russian drones was shot down over Georgian territory is a provocation. Moscow denies an unmanned plane was flying over the security zone on the border with South Ossetia. A spokesman for Georgia's Interior Ministry said a Russian reconnaissance plane had been shot down near the town of Gori.
A special delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), which has arrived in Russia to prepare a report on the situation in South Ossetia, hopes for a continued dialog between Russia and Georgia, the delegation's head Luc van den Brande said at a meeting with State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov in Moscow. Van den Brande assured his colleague that the delegation maintained an unbiased approach and was ready to objectively hear the positions of both sides.
In an impassioned speech at the opening day of the UN General Assembly, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvilli vowed to launch a second Rose Revolution of democratic expansion in Georgia to fight the "specter of aggression and authoritarianism." Saakashvili challenged the world body to use "actions, not words" to protect Georgia's sovereignty and stand up to Russia -- a country he never referred to by name. "We are called upon to answer this momentous question: Will this body stand up for its founding principles, or will it allow them to be crushed under the treads of the invading tanks, under the boots of the ethnic cleansers, under the immobilizing impact of cyberattacks, and the pernicious tactics of violent separatism?"
"We must stand united in our support of the people of Georgia," U.S. President George W. Bush said in his final address to the General Assembly as president. "The United Nations Charter sets forth the equal rights of nations large and small. Russia's invasion of Georgia was a violation of those words. Young democracies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this test. The United States has worked with allies and multilateral institutions, like the European Union and NATO, to uphold Georgia's territorial integrity and provide humanitarian relief, and our nations will continue to support Georgia's democracy."
NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine is not in Washington's or the alliance's interest, former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Jack Matlock said, as he and other former U.S. envoys decried the poor state of ties with Russia. At a gathering of five former U.S. and Russian ambassadors, Matlock questioned a central tenet of Bush administration policy: its firm support for the NATO membership bids of both Georgia and Ukraine.
Monday 22 September 2008
Several warships belonging to the Russian Northern Fleet, led by the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, Russian for Peter the Great, left the fleet's main base in Murmansk for Venezuela. Viktor Dygalo, an aide to the chief commander of the Russian Navy, told RBC that the warships were to hold joint naval exercises in Venezuela, adding that among the warships was also a destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and several auxiliary ships. The ships are expected to travel 15,000 nautical miles, and participate in exercises aimed at improving cooperation during marine rescue operations and combating maritime terrorism. The exercises are scheduled to last for two months.
A Council of Europe delegation is in Moscow to assess the state of Russian-Georgian relations, following the conflict in South Ossetia. The crisis will be the main focus of the group's parliamentary assembly, known as PACE, which opens in Strasbourg next week. Meanwhile, Russia continues to help rebuild South Ossetia while the U.S. goes on giving aid to Georgia. But Moscow fears the American aid is part of an effort to re-arm Georgia. The European delegation will hold talks with Parliament’s Federation Council Speaker Sergey Mironov on Monday and Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov on Tuesday.
A light day's trade on Monday saw Russian stocks improve slightly, with traders taking a breather after last week's frenetic activity. At the end of the day the RTS and Micex closed up 1.05% and 0.62% respectively. This follows a tumultuous day of trading on Friday, which saw both exchanges halted twice as they powered to record one-day gains, and was preceded by two halts in the previous week as serious liquidity concerns prompted fears for the Russian financial system.
Saturday 20 September 2008
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says it is up to Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to decide how many Russian troops can stay in their territories. Russian news agencies quote the prime minister as saying the decision will be made based on international law and agreements between Russia and the regions, which Mr. Putin defined as "countries."
Friday 19 September 2008
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says "Russia's recent behavior raises questions about how successful" the United States "can be in trying to pursue a constructive relationship." And he urged European allies to rebuild their defenses to deter any potential Russian aggression. At times using harsh language, Secretary Gates said Russia seems to be returning "to Czarist habits and aspirations," and accused it of "mauling and menacing small democracies." But at the same time, Secretary Gates said the goal of the European military buildup he would like to see is to avoid "military confrontation," and he indicated that with the right action that may be easier than it was during the Cold War. "In reality, Russia's policies are borne of a grievance-based desire to dominate its 'near abroad,' not an ideology-based effort to dominate the globe," he said. "And Russia's current actions - however egregious - do not represent the existential and global threat that the Soviet Union represented."
"I believe the Goergia incursion will, over time, be recognized as a Pyrrhic victory at best and a costly strategic overreach," he said. "Europe and the United States will help Georgia rebuild, and in the weeks and months ahead, will be coming to other decisions about our relationship with Russia - the decision that, could among other consequences, affect Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization and the Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development."
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says Russia remains open to foreign investment and any attempt to pull the country back into the Cold War is a direct threat to its modernization program. The statement follows sharp criticism by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who accused Russia of embarking on a path of self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance.
The Russian financial market has suffered precipitous declines this year, with some indexes falling more than 50 percent. The conflict in Georgia compounded the country's financial woes as investors pulled more than $35 billion out of Russia since the onset of hostilities last month. Russian investors embarked on a stunning turn-around, sending the country's leading stock exchanges upward so quickly that officials were forced to briefly suspend trading. Officials stopped trading on the RTS and Micex two times Friday, after both indexes soared more than 20 percent. While investors welcomed the gains, apparently emboldened by efforts to shore up financial markets around the world, Russian officials called for the suspensions because they feared trading could get out of control.
Thursday 18 September 2008
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Washington that Russia has paid a steep cost for its aggressive behavior in Georgia. "Russia's invasion of Georgia has achieved, and will achieve, no enduring strategic objective. And our strategic goal now is to make clear to Russia's leaders that their choices could put Russia on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance," she said. Secretary Rice added that Kremlin leaders are becoming increasingly authoritarian, intimidating Russia's neighbors, using energy as a political weapon, and persecuting domestic journalists, dissidents and others to the detriment of Russia itself. Rice said Russia is becoming "increasingly authoritarian" and "aggressive." At an event hosted by the German Marshall fund, Rice delivered her strongest comments to date about Russia's invasion of Georgia and other recent actions. She said the U.S. goal is to make clear to Russia's leaders that their choices are putting Russia "on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance." She said that for Russia to reach its full potential, it must be fully integrated into the international political and economic order. She said Russia is in the "precarious position of being half in and half out."
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Russia's stock exchanges suspended trading for the second day on Wednesday as a heavy sell-off sent the value of shares plummeting. The finance ministry took urgent steps to support the markets by offering liquidity to state-owned banks. In an effort to boost liquididy and stabilise the markets, the government pumped $44 billion into the financial system. First came a $20-billion injection into the interbank lending market on Tuesday to improve borrowing rates. Then, on Wednesday the Finance Ministry put up a further $44 billion for the country's three largest banks - Sberbank, VTB, and Gazprmobank - in a bid to boost banking-sector liquidity. Yet nothing seems to calm the markets. They crashed to new lows on Wednesday before trading was suspended for the day, just after 12 o’clock.
TRUD says that at his meeting with the Russian President, Azerbaijani leader Ilkham Aliev confirmed that he is not going to get involved in a confrontation with Russia despite multiple attempts by Western powers to persuade him to do just that. The paper repeats a recent media rumour: at his meeting with Dick Cheney in Baku, and in response to Mr Cheney’s urgings, Aliev started talking about Georgia. He called Mikhail Saakashvili’s policies irresponsible and some stronger names. However, the paper says, the President of Azerbaijan has not yet voiced any criticism of Georgia officially. KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA says in the global game of national interests, Baku is putting its money on Moscow. The paper goes on to quote the Azeri President Ilkham Aliev on the Caucasus: “Our region requires stability and predictability. That is what our relations with Russia provide to us: predictability.”
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has denied allegations in the British mass media that foul language was exchanged between him and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a telephone conversation following the conflict in South Ossetia. According to The Telegraph “such was the repeated use of the f-word, it was difficult to draft a readable note of the conversation.” An anonymous source leaked the information to the newspaper’s political editor Andrew Porter who subsequently posted the scandalous news on his blog.
Sergey Lavrov had explained he only used the f-word when he quoted a characteristic of Georgia’s leader Mikhail Saakashvili as given by a European colleague who called Saakashvili a ‘f***ing lunatic’. "In my conversation with Mr Miliband I was simply repeating word for word what a European colleague told me, to show the British minister that as well as those who think Mikhail Saakashvili is a great democrat there are other views about this man," Lavrov said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that NATO's drive to strengthen ties with Georgia is effectively encouraging the Tbilisi regime to carry out new acts of aggression in the future. Georgia's goal of NATO membership and U.S. support for Georgia's military have been major sources of tension with Russia in recent years. Russia accused NATO of rearming Georgia after last month's conflict over South Ossetia, and has threatened to fully sever ties with the Western alliance. The ministry statement said that "instead of drawing serious conclusions from the failed attempt of [Georgian President] Mikheil Saakashvili to solve the long-running conflict through use of force, NATO once again showed its support for its campaign of disinformation, and made promises to restore the military potential of this country. .... "
The U.S. military could have plans to use Georgian air bases to launch air strikes against Iran, according to Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin. He said that’s the reason why bases in Georgia damaged during the conflict with Russia are being rapidly rebuilt. Rogozin said if a U.S. military operation against Iran goes ahead, he would have “pity for Georgia, because Iran is certain to defend itself.”
Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia have sealed a friendship agreement at a signing ceremony in the Kremlin. It follows Russia's recent decision to recognise the independence of the two Caucasus countries. President Medvedev told the leaders of the two states that Russia will not allow anymore aggression from neighbouring Georgia. With the agreement signed, the Russian military now has permission to stay in the region not only as peacekeepers, but as a regular army tasked with providing security.
Georgia commited an act of aggression and violated the UN charter by invading South Ossetia, the incoming President of the UN General Assembly said at the opening of its 63rd session. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, a former foreign minister of Nicaragua, pledged in his opening address to the session to dedicate his year as president to representing the interests of “the dispossessed of the world” and fostering solidarity between peoples and member states. "Georgia was the one who invaded Ossetia. Look at the situation, look at how the whole thing began. I think that Georgia did commit agression against South Ossetia," said Brockmann.
About 1,700 people, most of them civilians, were killed in South Ossetia during Georgia's onslaught on the breakaway republic in early August, the region's top prosecutor said. "The gathered eyewitness evidence suggests that 1,694 people fell victim to the aggression," Taimuraz Khugayev said in a Rossiiskaya Gazeta interview published Wednesday. "The circumstances of death have now been ascertained for more than 500 of them."
Tuesday 16 September 2008
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says the road to joining the alliance is "wide open" for Georgia - despite Russian opposition. He made the comment in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on the second and last day of his visit. He said the alliance will continue to expand. De Hoop Scheffer was asked whether Georgia’s chances of joining NATO would be damaged if the crisis in the Caucasus wasn’t resolved. "That's the well-known 'iffy' question and in a long career, a long political career, I have learnt that it is better not to react to 'iffy' questions,” said the NATO chief. "NATO, it goes without saying, strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia," he added.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has urged Georgia to actively implement democratic reforms if it hopes to gain NATO entry. In comments to students at Tbilisi State University the secretary general warned Georgia not to use the crisis brought on by last month's conflict with Russia as an excuse to stall the reform process. "The thrust or the direction of NATO's thinking is clear. We stand with Georgia, we want to be helpful. The actual decision on whether December is the time for the membership action plan or not is something to be taken later and in the interim we are creating this NATO-Georgia Commission and we are going to be working through a lot of efforts to try to see how we can build a closer relationship and provide more assistance," said Kurt Volker, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
As of 5:45 p.m., the MICEX index was down 17.45 percent from Monday's close, at 881.17 points. Trading in shares was resumed at 5:42 p.m. after it was suspended for an hour following a decrease of over 8 percent in the exchange's technical index from the opening of the same trading day. Russia’s major stock exchanges, the RTS and Micex had suspended all trade after a panic driven wave of selling saw the Micex lose more than 16% and the RTS lose more than 11%.
Georgia produced telephone intercepts it said proved Russian armor entered Georgia hours before the start of the Georgian counter-attack. The intercepts were purported to be of telephone conversations between security officials in South Ossetia. "The intercepted calls confirm that the first units of the Russian regular army with heavy armor had entered and passed through the Roki tunnel during the early morning of August 7, more than 12 hours before Georgian forces started to mobilize," the ministry said in a "background memo" to the transcripts.
One intercept made at 03:52 on August 7 was said to be a conversation between an official at the South Ossetian border guard office in Tskhinvali and the duty officer at the Roki Tunnel, the land entrance to South Ossetia from Russia. The Georgian Interior Ministry provided its own translation of the recordings into English:
- Border guard HQ: "Has the armor already entered?"
- Duty officer: "Armor and people."
- Border guard HQ: "Did they enter now?"
- Duty officer: "Yes, when I called you for the first time they had already come out of the tunnel, around 20 minutes ago."
Monday 15 September 2008
The North Atlantic Council is meeting September 15-16 in Tbilisi. Moscow had urged the alliance to call off the visit. With NATO officials arriving in Tbilisi for a historic, first-time meeting here of the North Atlantic Council, the scope of the conflict appears to have expanded even further -- pitting Russia against the West, and pinning Georgia uncomfortably in between. NATO's General Secretary Jaap De Hoop Sheffer and ambassadors from all 26 NATO member states are in the Georgian capital to demonstrate their resolve to loosen Russia's grip on its tiny neighbor. The agenda has also been amended to include the inaugural session of a NATO-Georgia Commission to oversee Tbilisi's membership bid. The commission is a response to the recent hostilities that members hope will send a message to Moscow while allowing them to avoid internal disagreement over further NATO expansion. "If the Russians are staying in South Ossetia with so many forces, I do not consider this as a return to the status quo," de Hoop Scheffer told the "Financial Times" in an interview published ahead of the Tbilisi meeting. "The option of keeping Russian forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is not acceptable."
Mikhail Saakashvili is trying to take advantage of the recent conflict to speed up Georgia’s NATO accession, warning the alliance against Russia. "If NATO sends a sign of weakness, and clearly this invasion was intended to deter, to scare NATO away, if NATO gets scared away, then this will be a never-ending story,” he said.
Some important member states continue to back a quick Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Tbilisi, while others abhor the idea. Washington says it backs MAPs for Georgia and Ukraine. France and Germany -- which blocked a decision in April to force another debate in December -- are keeping their cards close to their chests. Unofficially, however, they indicate that the situation is now worse than it was before.
The EU Council has formally agreed to send 200 observers to Georgia to make sure Tbilisi abides by the Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan. The EU observers are due to replace Russian peacekeepers in the security zone by October 1. Ministers were thought likely to defer the potentially contentious issue of whether or not those observers will also monitor events in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The European Union had warned it will suspend talks on a new partnership pact unless Moscow pulls its forces from Georgia. Sarkozy has said if his agreement with Medvedev was implemented, there was no reason those talks should not take place in October. That appeared to suggest the next round of scheduled talks, on September 15, would not go ahead.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in South Ossetia after kicking off a two-day visit in Abkhazia on September 14 to signal Moscow's determination to follow through on its recent recognition of those separatist republics. At the start of his trip, Lavrov issued a stinging rebuke of NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who last week cited "fundamental differences" with Moscow and called Russia's show of force in Georgia "inappropriate" and its recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia unwise.
A source in Russian Defence Ministry says Georgian authorities have suppressed the real number of casualties from the conflict in South Ossetia, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti. According to information collected by Russian military intelligence, the casualties of the Georgian army and other security services, including police, could reach as much as 3000. “The Georgian leadership tries to hide the real scale of military losses. Our data gathered from various sources indicates that Georgia lost up to 3,000 servicemen and police in attack on South Ossetia,” said a source, also claiming that Georgia's Western allies have been aware of the numbers of Georgian casualties. It must be noted that the latest figures published by Georgian officials are as follows: 372 dead, including 188 civilians, 168 soldiers and 16 police. Russia has officially confirmed the loss of 66 killed and at least 340 wounded servicemen. Russia also claims that Georgia still hold POWs, among which could be crew members of the TU-22 bomber that was shot down by a Ukrainian-made anti-aircraft complex allegedly operated by Ukrainian mercenaries.
Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers that have landed in Venezuela are set to make a flight today for "air patrol in remote geographical areas," according to the Russian Air Forces' information and public relations department. The flights are to be conducted over neutral offshore waters of the Caribbean Sea. The Air Forces' statement has confirmed that the warplanes will take off from the Libertador air base on a six-hour flight. The document stated that all flights of the Russian bombers will be carried out in accordance with international regulations on the use of air space over neutral waters and refrain from crossing the borders of other countries. Furthermore, the aircraft crews are to meet with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez at his initiative on Tuesday.
As of 4:53 p. m., the MICEX index was down 7.13 percent at 1,057.01 points. On MICEX, VTB dropped 10.59 percent, Surgutneftegas plunged 10.39 percent, and Sberbank 8.17 percent. The RTS index was down 6.34 percent at 1,256.66 points. Among the biggest losers on the RTS were Rosneft (down 9.17 percent), Sberbank (down 6.78 percent), and Gazprom (down 5.8 percent).
Sunday 14 September 2008
Russia's Foreign ministry has confirmed all peacekeepers have been withdrawn from two positions in the security zone outside the Georgian port city of Poti, two days ahead of schedule. The withdrawal has also been confirmed by the Georgian Interior Ministry. The buffer zone between Poti and the Abkhaz border was created after the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict began.
Saturday 13 September 2008
Russian forces have evacuated five posts in western Georgia, which Moscow had promised to dismantle. Among the closures were military camps in Nabada and Patara Poti, outside the strategic Georgian port of Poti, as well as in Teklati and Pirveli Maisi, near the town of Senaki.
Friday 12 September 2008
President Medvedev revealed in a frank and public discussion with the members of the Valdai Discussion club why Russia will not deal with drug-addicted Georgian president Saakashvili. "There were many illusions in early 1990s, and as the country developed many of them just got blown away. Unfortunately the latest events mean those illusions are no more. Illusions that the world is just, that a security system based on current political resource distribution is optimal and keeps the world in balance. For me, as well as for a big part of Russian society, it was the loss of the last illusion - that the current world security system is reliable. We must create a different security system. The world has changed almost in an instant after those events. It came to my mind that for Russia, August 8 is almost like 9/11 for America.... The situation was humiliating for Russia some time ago, and we can’t take it any more. It’s a difficult choice for us, but we can’t take it."
“The Georgian head of state is not just a man we won’t do business with. He’s an unpredictable pathological and mentally unstable drug abuser. Western journalists know it! A two-hour-long interview on the high – that’s over the edge for a head of state. Does NATO need such a leader?”
“It is absolutely obvious that the so-called unipolar system has proved itself utterly ineffective in dealing with crises. Look at what has happened. One small but proud state not only strengthened its economy and developed democracy - there is nothing wrong with that - but also pumped its military muscles over a number of years. Eventually, on a peaceful day when mankind traditionally refrains from wars, it embarked on a cynical and bloody sortie under the pretext of restoring constitutional order. They attacked an ethnic group which has long told them they did not want to live in the same country together. However, after that they received substantial moral, material and military support from another, very big state, which wants to dictate its rules to the world,” Medvedev said.
"Russia has its place in this world, its mission, if you will, as a big country and permanent member of the Security Council, a participant in the G8 and a fast-growing economy. We will formulate our objectives in accordance with this understanding. I have said before and I say again now, there are regions in which Russia has interests. It would be foolish and in some cases even damaging to deny this. Our partners in the international community speak in these terms with regard to their own interests, and we also need to state this out loud. If we keep quiet as if ashamed of it we will end up with situations like the crisis in August. Of course we will defend our interests, but most important of all, we will protect our citizens. I have said this before and I want to emphasise it now. The world changed practically straight away following these events. It occurred to me that for Russia, August 8, 2008 is almost like September 11, 2001, for the United States. A lot of people are making this comparison now. Someone here also made this comparison, I think. I think it is quite accurate, in application to the situation in Russia, at least."
"Russia is a state with a thousand years of history. It is perfectly obvious that we are interested in a stable situation with our neighbours, absolutely all of them, without exception, even those with whom we now have rather difficult relations. And these states have every reason to want things in Russia to be as calm and predictable as possible. What does this mean? It means one simple but very important thing: our neighbours are without any doubt states that are traditionally close to us and they represent the traditional sphere of interests of the Russian Federation. And the Russian Federation is for them exactly the same sort of traditional sphere of interest. We are so close to each other that it is impossible to come between us: it is impossible to say that Russia would like things a certain way, and our neighbours another. It is not even a matter of belonging to this or that organisation, this or that bloc, but rather the common history and genetic connectedness of our economies and the very close kinship of our souls. Therefore, of course, our neighbours and good relations with them are our number one priority."
"Of course we are not interested in drawing boundaries on some map to designate our own areas of influence and so forth. That would be pointless. In a multipolar world, everyone influences everyone else. But with those nations with which we have traditionally been close, with whom we have had warm relations, we will work to extend our contacts. If that doesn’t please everyone, what can I do about it? We also have to put up with things that don’t particularly please us."
"Yesterday I met with the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Finance. And, as you understand, we did not discuss issuing a new batch of cars or tractors, but rather rearming the Russian army. What does this imply? This suggests that the conflict has caused us to change certain priorities.... We do not want to be a militarized country behind an Iron Curtain, I don’t want to live in such a country -- I have lived there already, it is too boring, not engaging enough. But Russia should be an estimable player in the international community."
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met political experts and journalists from all over the world at the annual forum, the Valdai Discussion Club. ".... long monologues are tiresome, especially for those who listen. Let's go on to a direct dialogue. Thank you for having the patience to listen to me.... Our American partners kept training the Georgian military. They invested a lot of money there. They sent a large number of instructors there, who helped mobilize the Georgian army. Instead of looking for a solution to the difficult problem of ethnic strife and ethnic conflicts, they just prompted the Georgian side to launch a military operation. This is what actually happened.... they wanted to use military force here too. They enjoy shooting and bombing so much they thought they could achieve success here too. You weren't successful in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in the Middle East - what makes you think you could be successful here? They failed here as well, and they will always fail ... This is why Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed to work out some new rules. What are these rules? It's all very simple. The same principle should apply to everyone. Let's decide which rules we are going to live by. .... respect means we recognise each other as an equal partner. The U.S. will never be able to make us similar to Western Europe. No offence meant, but Western Europe has no foreign policy of its own today. Russia cannot and will not exist in this way. Yet, we want to have normal partnership. So let's build this relationship together. "
On September 8, the independent Russian human rights organization "Memorial," and the Moscow Branch of Human Rights Watch concluded a six-day visit to Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, and number of Ossetian, Georgian, and mixed villages in the breakaway region of Georgia. Speaking at a news conference in the Russian capital, representatives of the two organizations said the situation in the area is not as simple as presented by propagandists on either side of the conflict. The activists note a discrepancy between some official Russian and South Ossetian claims of 2,000 war dead and a figure of 137 fatalities provided by Investigative Committee in the Russian Prosecutor's office. They say attempts to confirm a number was impossible, as one government committee referred them to another committee, which referred them back to the first. There was also no evidence of thousands dead based on visits to local hospitals and graveyards.
Memorial representative Alexander Cherkasov says residents of Georgian enclaves were advised to leave by local pro-Georgian authorities before the outbreak of hostilities. This, according to the activist, indicates the attack by Georgia was not spontaneous.
Why had Saakashvili acted with such apparent recklessness? The answer coming from loyal authorities in Tbilisi is: He didn't. Officials like Reintegration Minister Temur Iakobashvili, who claims he was with Saakashvili when the order was given to enter South Ossetia, says Georgia acted only after days of separatist attacks on Georgian-controlled villages, and with the belief that Russian forces had already entered the Roki Tunnel connecting North Ossetia in Russia with South Ossetia in Georgia. "We didn't start this war, and we didn't enter South Ossetia to liberate it. That was not the order the president gave," Iakobashvili said. "He gave the order right in front of me. The order was to shut down only those places where the South Ossetians were firing from. And to stop the military column that was entering Georgia. That's it." In the early days of the conflict, authorities in Tbilisi claimed to possess three independent intelligence sources confirming that Russian, not Georgian, troops had moved first, but has yet to produce the proof.
Speculation is rife that Saakashvili may be forced to step down in favor of a candidate less noxious to Russia, like former parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze or Georgia's ambassador to the United Nations, Irakli Alasania.
Belgium cancelled an official visit by one of its warships to Russia, a source in the Russian Navy said on Friday. The Belgian F931 Louise-Marie frigate was scheduled to visit a naval base in St. Petersburg on September 12-15. "Belgium has sent us a note saying that despite friendly relations between Belgium and Russia NATO has recommended that the country cancel the visit due to the current political crisis," the source said.
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said that Georgia should be admitted to NATO, and that the United States could go to war with Russia if Moscow then attacked the South Caucasus state. Speaking about the Georgian crisis in her in her first major interview since becoming Senator John McCain's running mate, the governor of Alaska said: "We've got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable."
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Russian-Ukrainian relations. "As is known, before October 1, 2008 Russia and Ukraine must define their approach to the further fate of the 1997 Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership. It is understandable that this kind of strategic decisions are taken based on careful analysis of the course of the realization of the Treaty’s provisions and of the sides’ fulfillment of their obligations to develop the Russian-Ukrainian strategic partnership. In this connection we are forced to state that the Ukrainian authorities are currently pursuing a policy which can only be assessed as unfriendly towards Russia. ... Official Kyiv continues its policy for a speedy entry into NATO, which is contrary to the spirit of the 1997 Treaty and to the security interests of Russia. ... The rights of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population are being infringed, and a purposeful policy is being pursued to oust the Russian language from the public life of the country, science, education, culture and the mass media."
Transcript of Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov Interview with Telewizja Polska, September 8, 2008 : "If the decisions are taken by the Polish leadership under the impact of paranoia and on the basis of nonexistent and absolutely far-fetched threats, I can do nothing with this. I have heard that some figures in Europe began to vituperate loudly and demagogically that the next after South Ossetia would now be Ukraine and then Moldova, but this was the product of a sick imagination. There are quite a few people who would like to exploit this situation exclusively for anti-Russian purposes."
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is visiting Latvia's capital, Riga, for talks with the Latvian president and the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states -- Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The visit was originally scheduled as a bilateral meeting with the Latvian president, but the NATO chief's schedule was altered to include private talks with the three Baltic governments about their concerns over Russia's invasion of Georgia last month.
Thursday 11 September 2008
"Russian strategic bombers, Tu-160s, have landed in Venezuela. Yes, yes. So that way it hurts Yankees," according to President Hugo Chavez. An outspoken critic of the United States, this is how Chavez sees Venezuela's latest cooperation with Russia. President of Venezuela Chavez himself came to the Libertador Air Base to greet Russian crews. The exercises, the first major maneuvers in the U.S. front yard since the Cold War, are a show of strength by Russia. The planes arrived on September 10 days after Russia and Venezuela announced they would conduct joint naval exercises in the Caribbean later this year.
Georgian aggression in South Ossetia underlines the need to modernise Russia's armed forces in the coming years, and the Russian Army needs to be well-equipped to deal with modern threats, according to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "We should concentrate on supplying our troops with modern weapons. We will work on this consistently and thoroughly, taking into account - among other things - recent developments like the Caucasus crisis, Georgia's aggression and its ongoing militarisation. This makes the goal I'm speaking of one of our top priorities for the next few years." said the Russian leader at a meeting with the country's top military officials. "These decisions will undoubtedly be influenced by the crisis in the Caucasus, the Georgian aggression [against S. Ossetia], and the continued militarization of Georgia," the president said. "We need modern, effective armed forces, and this is one of the key tasks," Medvedev said.
The participants of parliamentary hearings arranged by the Federation Council on Russia's draft budget for 2009-2011 have suggested that the government consider an increase in financing the government's arms program for 2009-2011. Particularly, the government is to review increasing the funding of corresponding R&D programs, as well as the purchases of arms and military equipment. Yevgeny Bushmin, head of the Federation Council's budget committee has agreed with the proposal to hike Russia's military spending in light of the conflict in the Caucasus. This suggestion is in line with those of the United Russia political party, Bushmin said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin strongly defended the Russian military incursion into Georgia, but says Moscow has no intention of annexing any territory of former Soviet republics. Putin said Moscow has no "imperial ambitions" for Georgia, despite what he said were Western accusations to the contrary.
Some lawmakers and analysts fear that Russia's invasion of Georgia may hurt U.S. space exploration. The U.S. space agency, NASA, depends heavily on Russian launch vehicles to reach the international space station. NASA plans to retire the space shuttle in 2010. After that, the U.S. agency will only gain access to the international space station by purchasing rides on Russian Soyuz vehicles. Republican presidential nominee John McCain and other lawmakers have voiced concern about Russia's reliability as a partner on the space station.
Wednesday 10 September 2008
A letter Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wrote that was published in the Polish daily "Gazeta Wyborcza" on September 10 appeared to suggest he was coming to Poland to bargain. Repeating the words of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, he writes that Russia has a geographical sphere of "privileged interests" and he called on Poland and the rest of Europe to recognize that "new reality." That has left many in Poland speculating over just what kind of a "grand bargain" Moscow might have in mind that goes even beyond ending Polish support of Tbilisi. "Gazeta Wyborcza" speculates that "it sounds like an invitation for Poland to join the club of EU countries leaning toward Russia, such as Germany, Italy, France and Spain." In other words, if Poland stops leading the anti-Russia camp in the EU, and adopts a more "pragmatic" approach, Warsaw will find Moscow a willing partner.
David Bakradze, the speaker of the Georgian parliament, testified before the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission. He said the Russian provocations became an act of war that Georgia had to respond to, and he offered evidence that he said proves Russian tanks and troops entered Georgian territory on August 7 through the Roki Tunnel, the only road connecting North Ossetia, in the Russian Federation, to South Ossetia. "At this point, this is still not public, but we have radio interceptions confirming Russian troops entering Georgian territory in the evening of August 7," Bakradze said. Bakradze called that "the turning point" where the Georgian government had to make the decision to defend its territory and respond.
Matt Bryza, deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, also testified before the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission. "We don't want to be sounding like we're wagging our finger, raising threats. We don't want to burn bridges. We want to escalate, if need be, prudently, whatever leverage we might employ, but always with the hope and the anticipation that at some point Russia will recognize the costs are simply too high of continuing on this path."
The U.S. Air Force will patrol the airspace over the Baltic states from October, the Latvian Defense Ministry said. A group of U.S. F-16 fighter jets will replace the current German planes on a rotation basis. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia reached an agreement with NATO on the lease of fighters to patrol their airspace in 2004. Patrols have since been conducted by Belgian, Spanish, Norwegian, German and Danish aircraft. The patrols cost the Latvian taxpayers $4 million a year. The Baltic States have virtually no fighter planes. They said earlier that they would be unable to acquire their own fighter planes before 2018. The Baltic skies are secured by the so-called NATO air police, which in addition to fighter planes also provide air defense systems and manpower.
Nikolay Zlobin, Director of Russian and Asian programs at the Washington-based World Security Institute, writes that the World has passed the era of the U.S. monopoly on the superpower status. The U.S. has failed as the sole center of power, not only because the efforts of Russia and other countries directed towards the creation of a multi-polar world, but largely because of the mistakes of its own administration, the administration of George W. Bush, one of the least successful U.S. presidents in History.
Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili has so far made no "express" commitments to abstain from using force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow. "We do not care about the papers that Saakashvili pulls out of his pockets to show to journalists," Lavrov stated, adding that Russia had expected him to undertake only one obligation - to pledge not to use force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Leaders of the European Union and Ukraine say they expect to conclude a pact in 2009 on deepening ties but the 27-nation bloc stopped short of offering Kyiv the firm membership pledge it had hoped for. The leaders agreed that a broad pact under negotiation would be called an "association agreement" -- wording that can imply the possibility of future EU membership.
Tbilisi has signed the new version of the Medvedev-Sarkozy Peace Plan and immediately attached to it a meaning quite, different from what Moscow put into it. The Georgian side suggests that international observers would be monitoring the situation at the “security zones” outside the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as inside the two republics. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says only Russian troops will be working inside the newly-recognised states.
Tuesday 09 September 2008
The U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing cast Moscow as an aggressor but members of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs seemed to some Russians to have sided with Russia. Some U.S. voices were raised against labeling Russia as the aggressor during the conflict in the Caucasus. ”The recent fighting in Georgia and its breakaway region was started by Georgia. The Georgians broke the truce, not the Russians! And no talk of provocation can change that fact,” said Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. The U.S. is in Georgia “not for democracy” Congressman Ron Paul added. ”We are not for democracy there - we are there to protect a pipeline. And that is tragic for me,” he said. Senator Hillary Clinton called for the creation of a special commission to get the facts straight before judging Russia. ”Rather than seeking to isolate them - which I think is not a smart proposal - we should be more strategic. We have to answer for ourselves: Did we embolden the Georgians in any way? Did we send mixed signals to the Russians?” Hillary Clinton said.
US Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman said that "For many months my colleagues and Secretary Rice had been telling the Georgians clearly and unequivocally that any military action initiated by them would be a mistake and would lead to a disaster.” He told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 9 that the top U.S. priorities in Georgia are stabilizing the situation on the ground, helping the country recover economically, and helping to rebuild the military. To that end, he said a team from the Defense Department will travel to Georgia this week. "The Department of Defense is sending an assessment team to Tbilisi later this week to help us begin to consider carefully Georgia's legitimate needs and our response," Edelman said. "After assessments of these needs, we will review how the United States will be able to support the reconstruction of Georgia's economy, infrastructure, and armed forces."
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, declined to give specifics about how the United States might punish Russia for its invasion. "Our strategic response must include longer-term consequences for our relationship with Russia," Fried said. "Since 1991, U.S. policy toward Russia was based on the assumption that Russia sought integration with the world and was, perhaps unevenly, moving toward greater democracy and the rule-of-law at home. Indeed, Russia expressed interest in and made progress toward becoming part of key institutions -- the WTO, OECD, the G7/G8, and a partner with NATO and the European Union. But with its invasion of Georgia, Russia has put these aspirations at risk."
On September 9, "The New York Times" reported that the Bush administration has ruled out any unilateral punishment of Russia. Quoting senior administration officials, the newspaper reported that, "The White House had concluded that American punishments like economic sanctions or blocking Russia from world trade groups would only backfire, deepening Russia's intransigence and allowing the Kremlin to narrow the regional and global implications of its invasion of Georgia to an old-fashioned Washington-Moscow dispute."
At the United Nations, the U.S. has rejected a Russian draft resolution asking for an arms embargo to be imposed on Georgia. It called for countries to agree a ban on the sale of arms or military equipment, as well as any assistance, consultations or training. Before the rejection, Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin insisted an embargo would be the right thing to do. “The Russian delegation introduced today at our consultations an important draft resolution. This is a draft resolution on an arms embargo against Georgia,” Churkin said.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili still hasn't provided sufficient assurances that the country won't attack South Ossetia and Abkhazia, according to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Such a guarantee was the only precondition Russia issued for the complete withdrawal of its troops from the region. "We have only demanded that Mikhail Saakashvili does one thing - pledges not to use force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He still hasn't given any clear guarantees of that. The European Union did it for him," said Sergey Lavrov.
Russia says its troops will remain in South Ossetia and Abkhazia for a long time. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a Moscow news conference that Russian troops, not peacekeepers, will remain on the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to respond to what he referred to as any relapses of aggression. He says they will be there at the request of the presidents and parliaments of the two regions and also on the basis of a Russian presidential decree. Lavrov says the troops will stay for a long time, at least for the foreseeable future. This, he says, is absolutely necessary to prevent repetition of aggressive actions by Georgia. Speaking in Moscow at a briefing for President Dmitri Medvedev, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the country's presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia will total about 7,600 troops, 3,800 in each region. Foreign Minister Lavrov says the responsibility for peace in the buffer zone around South Ossetia and Abkhazia is now in international hands.
French President Sakorzy came with a letter from Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili, promising that Tbilisi would refrain from using force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia in accordance with the six-point plan adopted on August 12. After the talks the leaders held a media briefing where Dmitry Medvedev announced the additions to the August 12 ceasefire. He said: “all Russian peacekeeping forces from five observation checkpoints located in a territory between Poti and Senaki would be withdrawn over seven days at most with account taken of the fact that legally-binding documents with guarantees of not using force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia were signed on September 8, 2008. ... Russian troops should be completely withdrawn from zones located outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia to pre-conflict positions within a period of ten days upon the deployment of international peacekeepers, including at least 200 EU monitors, not later that October 1, 2008. ... All Georgian troops should return to their pre-conflict positions by October 1, 2008.”
US Vice President Dick Cheney deplored Russia's military action in Georgia and said Tiblisi has every right to join NATO in the future. He made clear that Russia could not behave as it pleased with Georgia. "The international community is united in deploring Russia's military action and condemning its unilateral efforts to alter by force of arms Georgia's internationally recognized boundaries," said Cheney.
According to Anatol Lieven, Georgia has no chance of retrieving its former breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. “One of the most important things to get through to the West and to Georgia is that they will never get South Ossetia and Abkhazia back,” he said. “Anyone who wants to try to bring peace and stability to that part of the world has to recognise that. Possibly, if they recognise the independence of these states, they may get a bit of them back. The Georgians might get the Kodori and Gali back,” Lieven added.
There are calls to offer Ukraine a clear -- if distant -- prospect for EU membership at the EU-Ukraine summit at Evian on September 9. Such a move is likely to be blocked by the Benelux countries and others skeptical of further enlargement, or unwilling to antagonize Russia. The bloc has signaled that it will provide encouragement about closer ties, but is not expected to offer Kyiv a specific pledge on future membership. "The summit will not give Ukraine a European perspective, a key word for eventual membership," according to Tomas Valasek, director of foreign policy and defense at the London-based Center for European Reform. The European Union must consider the waning public support for further EU expansion and the consequences of further straining relations with Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the recall of the Russian-American Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement from the US Congress by saying "We regard the decision of US President George W. Bush to recall from Congress the submitted-for-ratification Russian-American civil nuclear cooperation agreement as erroneous and politicized. We are also puzzled by the timing of the announcement of this decision.... It is obvious that the recall of this agreement from the US Congress will be interpreted as a “penalty” or “restriction” for Russia. To us such interpretations are unconvincing..."
Monday 08 September 2008
The presence of international observers was negotiated Monday during talks near Moscow by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev. Russia has agreed to completely withdraw its troops from Georgia's heartland within a month. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said the agreement was a step forward, but made clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are inseparable parts of Georgia. French President Sarkozy arrived in Moscow on 08 September 2008. Sarkozy was traveling together with the president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and the foreign policy chief of the EU, Javier Solana. Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, discussed sending a mission of EU observers to Georgia during talks in Moscow Monday with Russian leaders. Sarkozy, accompanied by other top EU officials, made another effort to persuade Russia to abide by the terms of the cease-fire and remove its forces from Georgian territory. Russian officials and diplomats have made clear that they disagree with the EU's interpretation of the six-point cease-fire negotiated by Sarkozy.
The French President Sarkozy, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and foreign policy chief Javier Solana then went to Georgia later in the day. The new agreement came at a high price for Georgia -- Tbilisi had to sign away the right to use force in either Abkhazia or South Ossetia -- effectively giving up its sovereignty over the two separatist provinces.
Georgia sought a ruling from the UN's highest court in The Hague ordering Russia to stop what it claims are human rights violations against ethnic Georgians in the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Judges at the International Court of Justice in the Hague on September 8 started hearing Georgian accusations that Russia committed human rights violations against ethnic Georgians living in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The court was expected to give a provisional order or injunction within two to three weeks if it decides it has jurisdiction to hear the case. The primary task for the Russian defense team is to prove that the Court does not have proper jurisdiction for the case and that restoration in Abkhazia and South Ossetia can be achieved without a court trial. Georgia's case is presented by a team of young European and U.S.-educated Georgian officials as well as several famous American lawyers. The Russian team consists of senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and several famous European lawyers.
Sunday 07 September 2008
Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin says Russia will break off its relationship with the alliance if it admits Georgia. He warned that there is no way Russia could continue cooperating with NATO if the Membership Action Plan was approved for Georgia. "We would have to stop all contact. Georgia's entry to NATO would make the world a different place," he said. Rogozin added that alliance members must be aware of this, as it concerns the European countries most of all. "The U.S. and Canada are far away, and unlikely to be affected by any potential threats. It's Europe that will take the rap," said Rogozin.
The U.S. military provided combat training to Georgian commandos just months before Georgia attacked South Ossetia, according to an investigation by the Financial Times newspaper. It reported that a 15-man team of American special forces veterans spent 70 days training Georgia's elite troops outside the capital Tbilisi. The Financial Times obtained a recruitment email sent by a Pentagon contractor, MPRI, and a U.S. European Command spokesman confirmed the existence of the training program when questioned about the email. The trainers were paid US$2000 per week plus expenses to train the Georgian troops.
Saturday 06 September 2008
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev accused the United States of re-arming the Georgian army Saturday, using humanitarian aid as a cover. Apparently hinting at the United States, Medvedev said certain nations keep arming Georgia under the guise of humanitarian aid. "Unfortunately, the armament of the Georgian regime, including under the flag of humanitarian aid, is continuing," he said. The leader's charges came as European Union foreign ministers met to discuss the conflict in Georgia. President Dmitri Medvedev's strongly-worded comments came a day after the US Sixth fleet sailed into the Georgian port of Poti, to deliver humanitarian aid. Under the close watch of Russian forces, 17 tons of humanitarian aid was dropped off at the Black Sea port. US officials said the ships were delivering items such as toothpaste, toilet paper, blankets and other necessities, while Russian officials alleged that the shipments were also delivering weapons. "I wonder how they would feel if we now dispatched humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean, suffering from a hurricane, using our navy," Medvedev said, adding that a whole U.S. fleet had been dispatched to deliver the aid. He said political pressure on Russia will not yield any result. "They are trying to subject us to political pressure, but we have got used to it, and they will not be able to do anything," the Russian leader said.
Medvedev was reported to have said, "Russia will never allow anyone to infringe upon the lives and dignity of its citizens," adding "Russia is a nation to be reckoned with from now on." However, the official translation of his statement on the Russian Presidential website reported that he said "Russia will not allow anyone to compromise the lives and dignity of its citizens, Russia is a nation, which will continue to be reckoned with." The former translation suggests that the Russian military action in Georgia represented the begining of a new policy, of more muscular assertion of Moscow's will in the near abroad. That later translation suggested that new new policy approach was represented in these actions. The transcript from the President's website goes on to say, however, that Medvedev stated "After the 8th of August 2008 the world has changed." This suggests that possibly there is a new approach, after all.
Russia's Agriculture Ministry has suggested cutting the imports of poultry, delivered mainly from the United States, in 2009 by 17%. "We suggest reducing import quotas on poultry meat next year by 200,000 tons," Minister Alexei Gordeyev said Saturday during a visit to a fishing farm in south Russia. The U.S. is Russia's largest poultry supplier. The country has supplied 870,000 metric tons of the 1.2-million-metric-ton poultry quota set by Russia for 2008.
Vice President Dick Cheney, in the sharpest U.S. criticism of Russia since its brief war with Georgia, has accused Moscow of reverting to old tactics of intimidation. "This chain of aggressive moves and diplomatic reversals has only intensified the concern that many have about Russia's larger objectives," Cheney said. "For brutality against a neighbor is simply the latest in a succession of troublesome and unhelpful actions by the Russian government. ... At times it appears Russian policy is based upon the desire to impose its will on countries it once dominated, instead of any balanced assessment of security interests.... it reflects the discredited notion that any country can claim an exclusive zone of authority, to be held together by muscle and threats.... Russia's leaders cannot have things both ways. They cannot presume to gather up all the benefits of commerce, consultation, and global prestige, while engaging in brute force, threats, or other forms of intimidation against sovereign democratic countries."
The European Union wants to work closely with the United States in resolving the Georgian crisis, Italy's foreign minister said after meeting U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
European Union leaders met Saturday in southern France to determine how to respond to the actions of both Russia and Georgia. Several foreign ministers called for an independent inquiry to find out what exactly happened, while others hoped to figure out whether human rights abuses took place. The European Union's 27 foreign ministers ended their two-day informal meeting in Avignon with a show of unity ahead of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Moscow and Tbilisi on September 8. The EU stands ready to contribute observers to an OSCE mission currently in the process of being deployed in Georgia. The foreign minister of Finland, Alexander Stubb, who currently also chairs the OSCE, told his EU colleagues over the course of the meeting that Russia continues to stymie the build-up of the organization's monitoring mission from its present 28 members to the full strength of 100.
US Vice President Dick Cheney has sharply criticized Russia's actions in its conflict with Georgia, and its attempts to control oil and gas supplies. Speaking in Italy Saturday Cheney accused Moscow of threatening to use energy supplies as a "tool of force and manipulation."
Friday 05 September 2008
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted the leaders of six former Soviet countries at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Moscow on Friday September 5th. Medvedev sought support from fellow CSTO signatories Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan for Russia's military intervention in Georgia and subsequent recognition of the South Ossetian and Abkhaz independence.
The leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) signed a joint declaration on the developments in the Caucasus at a meeting in Moscow on Friday. The group has also expressed its support of Russia's reaction to Georgian aggression against South Ossetia. ”All our partners in the CSTO will be guided by their own opinion on the issue of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. This is how it should be according to the norms of international law. They'll be guided by their own national interests. Russia believes this is absolutely right,” Dmitry Medvedev said. But the Armenian President stressed that the members of the organisation should show a united front in different issues, including foreign policy. ”Along with strengthening the military aspects of CSTO, we must also coordinate our foreign policy, because we are members of one organisation,” said Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan.
In the southern French city of Avignon, European Union ministers have opened a two-day meeting to discuss sending international observers to Georgia. The meeting is very important because it will determine the dates and terms for launching this mission. The European Union could decide as early as a week from now to send 200 or more personnel to the region. This week Moscow also backed an international police presence by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that also could include the EU.
French FM Bernard Kouchner said U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was not America’s best ambassador. "The very fact that Americans didn't find anything else to support their failed ally - Mr. Saakashvili - other than sending Mr. Cheney to the region, who is incredibly unpopular in the world, who is associated with the war in Iraq, with all these neo-conservative, black-and-white visions of the world, who was accused of corruption - remember the Halliburton affair in Iraq. And if they wanted, if the Bush administration really wanted to consolidate the international community behind the United States in criticising Russia, I think they should find somebody else and not send Mr. Cheney," Kouchner said. He also said the European Union should develop a joint approach to Russia. "We have to be together. The U.S. have their own views, but we are living close to Russia. We need to develop our own policy, a neighbouring policy. We have to talk about our views of being close to Russia, a great country, a partner," he said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Russia is, in her words, "deepening its isolation" by failing to stand by the conditions of a cease-fire agreement with Georgia. Rice told reporters in Lisbon Friday that Russia has not honored its commitments towards Georgia. The U.S. has repeatedly criticized Russia for maintaining forces in the Georgian port city of Poti and in other locations. Moscow says its troops are carrying out necessary peacekeeping duties.
US Vice President Dick Cheney said Washington supported Ukraine's bid to join the military alliance, and that a NATO commitment to eventually admit the former Soviet republic "stands today." "No outside country gets a veto," he said. Cheney's trip to Ukraine is viewed as a signal of American support for that country's pro-Western and pro-NATO government. But the high-level visit comes at a time of disarray in that government involving a bitter dispute that pits President Viktor Yushchenko against Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Russian newspaper headlines and live television reports from Kyiv inform readers and viewers that Ukraine's Orange Revolution is over. In Moscow, Russian lawmaker Konstantyn Zatulin, who is also deputy chair of the Commonwealth of Independent States Committee in Parliament, says Russia is not pleased with Ukraine's political crises of recent years. "The reason is because the turbulence makes it difficult to develop long-term Ukrainian-Russian relations," says Zatulin. He adds that those ties are suffering, because Russia cannot rely on any stable partners in Ukraine.
Russia's Black Sea Fleet poses a potential danger to Ukraine's security, according to President Viktor Yushchenko who made this statement following talks with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who is visiting the country on Friday. Yushchenko also expressed concern that Moscow may use the fleet based in Ukraine in conflicts with third parties.
American Vice President Dick Cheney’s visit to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, appeared to some Russian obervers to be have been unsuccessful for Washington, unlike his visit to Tbilisi. Cheney received a cool welcome and, according to Russia's Kommersant newspaper, Azerbaijan’s President Ilkham Aliyev has implied that Baku is going to play a waiting game concerning the Nabucco gas pipeline, which is set to bypass Russia. Neither President Ilkham Aliyev nor the Prime Minister, Artur Rasizade, were there to greet Cheney at Baku airport. Instead, he was met by the country’s First Deputy PM and the Foreign Minister. The Kommersant newspaper reports that Cheney was very annoyed by the results of the meeting with President Aliyev and even refused to attend a ceremonial supper in his own honor.
A senior Russian lawmaker says Moscow will deploy high-precision weapons near Poland, in response to a U.S. - Poland missile defense agreement signed in Warsaw last month. Viktor Zavarzin, head of the defense committee in the State Duma, said Russia has new weapons that will be installed near the sites where Washington plans to deploy interceptor missiles. The Itar-Tass news agency quoted Zavarzin as saying there are proposals to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the Kaliningrad region bordering Poland, but that for now there is no need for such a move.
The current sell-offs on the Russian stock market are caused by panic, experts told RBC TV. Before investors can start buying Russian shares for the medium and long term, the market must give a signal that it is ready to rebound, analysts note. While Russian companies are now fundamentally attractive, global markets are still seeing a downbeat trend, experts point out. On the whole, Russian shares are likely to rebound next week unless there is new negative news from abroad. Analysts believe that the MICEX index's support level is 1,000-1,100 points. Shortly after 3 p.m., the MICEX index was down 8.49 percent at 1,172.98 points and the RTS index was down 7.77 percent at 1,408.02 points.
Thursday 04 September 2008
A U.S. Navy ship carrying humanitarian supplies arrived in Poti on Thursday. The flagship of the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean fleet has arrived in the key Georgian port of Poti, where Russian troops have been patrolling since last month's war. U.S. officials say the "Mount Whitney" is bringing humanitarian aid, but Russia has criticized the move, saying a sophisticated warship is unsuited for an aid mission. However, asked what Russia's reaction might be, spokesman Nesterenko said, "There is no talk of military action." Russian forces say they will carry out regular checks of cargo coming in and out of Poti. They man at least two positions close to access roads on the outskirts of the town.
The regular meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization was held in Moscow on September 4. Foreign Ministers from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were in attendance. The CSTO chairmanship at this session passes from Kyrgyzstan to Armenia, and accordingly the Foreign Minister of that country, Eduard Nalbandian, will conduct the meeting.
The foreign ministers of six former Soviet republics in the Collective Security Organization backed Russia's role in the Georgian conflict, but stopped short of recognizing the independence of the breakaway regions. The council of the Security Council Secretaries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) approved of Russia's actions in South Ossetia, Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told a news conference in Yerevan. As for the reasons underlying the conflict, Patrushev said that the North Caucasus and Central Asia were rich in hydrocarbons, and therefore were of interest to many countries, particularly the USA, which "wanted to gain access to the riches".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia is satisfied with the common statement which follows the meeting. ”It denounces the military actions taken by Georgia against South Ossetia and stresses the necessity to avoid such situations in the future,” Lavrov said. ”The statement highlights the key points, has all the necessary verifications, including condemnation of Georgia's military actions against South Ossetia. It stresses the need to do the best in order not to admit similar attempts at using force for solving conflicts and evaluates events in the conflict zone. It condemns the policy of double standards and admits the dangers in the conflict zone,” he added.
Russia’s stock market opened slightly lower on Thursday. On the MICEX, shares dropped by an average of 0.5 percent, Rosneft being the biggest lower (down 1.5 percent). Severstal and Polyus Gold defied the downward trend, rising by 1 percent. The market will continue to decline on Thursday, Alexander Laputin, chief investment consultant at Otkritie Financial Corporation, told RBC TV.
The president of the Central American state of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has followed Moscow's lead by recognizing the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Nicaragua thereby became the first country to join Russia in officially recognizing the two regions. Ortega is an old Cold War warrior himself, having been an ally of the Soviet Union and an unwavering critic of what he saw as U.S. imperialism in Latin America.
US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Ukraine as part of a tour of several former Soviet republics, amid an escalating standoff with Russia over its operations in Georgia.
Vice President Dick Cheney, on a visit to Tbilisi, condemned Russia's invasion of Georgia and said the United States is fully committed to its eventual membership in NATO. "The United States is very pleased with the recent establishment of the NATO-Georgia Commission," Cheney said in brief remarks to reporters after meeting with President Mikheil Saakashvili. "As the current members of NATO declared at the summit in Bucharest, Georgia will be in our alliance. NATO is a defensive alliance." He said that Russia was the "aggressor" in the recent South Ossetian war.
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin wasted no time in casting a cloud over Russia. In her keynote speech to the party convention in Minnesota, the Alaskan Governor accused Moscow of using energy as a weapon in its disagreements with the West. "With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers," Palin told supporters in St Paul.
International military monitors entered a Russian buffer zone inside Georgia for the first time since fighting broke out last month over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Russia has previously rebuffed pressure from the West to allow monitors into the area where, Georgia alleges, militias from South Ossetia have burnt and looted Georgian villages.
Russia's foreign minister urged the deployment of "unbiased" observers in South Ossetia. "The most important thing is to provide unbiased international monitoring of South Ossetia's buffer zone," Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini. Lavrov added that it would also be necessary to make sure that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's regime honored its commitments, including not using force.
The Wall Street Journal reported: “In private meetings, the Vice President, Dick Cheney, will also be sounding out Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and other officials about how the U.S. and its allies could help strengthen economic and military capabilities. In the past the U.S. has been careful not to go too far with military assistance in the region... Now that policy might be ripe for reconsideration, many experts say. An initial step could be to increase the number of U.S. military trainers in Georgia.”
The New York Times said: “Just weeks after Georgia’s military collapsed in panic in the face of the Russian Army, its leaders hope to rebuild and train its armed forces as if another war with Russia is almost inevitable. Georgia is already drawing up lists of options, including restoring the military to its pre-war strength or making it a much larger force with more modern equipment... Georgia’s decision to attack Russian and South Ossetian forces raises questions about the wisdom of further United States investment in the Georgian military, which in any case would further alienate Russia.”
Georgian police have arrested the son of the country's first post-Soviet president on charges of planning a coup against the government and spying for Russia. Officials Thursday confirmed that Tsotne Gamsakhurdia is in custody after being arrested late Wednesday at the Tbilisi airport. Georgian authorities have been seeking Gamsakhurdia's arrest since November of 2007, when he was accused of planning a failed coup against President Mikheil Saakashvili. He also was charged with having ties to the Russian secret service.
Wednesday 03 September 2008
The State Department's top expert on the Caucasus region, Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza, dismissed Moscow's continuing claim that Georgia started the conflict by its troop movement in South Ossetia August 7. "It did not begin on August 7th with the attack on Tskhinvali, by Georgia, which we do believe was a mistake. But it began much sooner, thanks to provocations by South Ossetian militias under the command, by the way, of Russian officers. So Georgia did not launch a war. Georgia was drawn into one," he said.
Russia's NATO envoy has said that Moscow could suspend cooperation with the military alliance on Afghanistan over the recent Georgia crisis. Speaking at a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels late on Wednesday, Dmitry Rogozin said "future cooperation [in Afghanistan] will depend on the alliance's position in the 'Caucasus crisis.' "We are not satisfied either with NATO's words or actions," he said.
U.S. envoy Kurt Volker said in an interview published in the "Financial Times" that the 26-nation Western military alliance must send signals through "planning and exercises" that it intends to help shore up the Baltic states. "Those countries are members of NATO; so if there is any attack on those countries, we will respond," Volker told the paper in an interview. "They are feeling a little rattled by seeing Russia use military force to invade a sovereign, small neighboring country. We need to send signals to shore them up a little bit. ... We will have to make sure ... that the Article 5 commitment is realizable, not just as a political matter, but as a military matter too," he said.
US Vice President Dick Cheney has begun a week-long tour of former Soviet republics in a show of support after Russia's invasion of Georgia last month. He is going to the capitals that are the state that was just hit by Russia and two more that are regarded as possible next points of vulnerability, Kyiv and Baku. Cheney's visit will afford him a firsthand view of Azerbaijani's prominent role as an energy supplier, Georgia's current crisis with Russia, and domestic political turmoil in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko threatened to dissolve parliament following the collapse of the pro-Western ruling coalition. He said a "political and constitutional coup" was under way in parliament after his Orange Revolution partner, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, joined ranks with the pro-Moscow opposition earlier this week. Tymoshenko's move paved the way for the Verkhovna Rada's adoption of a series of laws weakening the president's powers, including the right to name the prime minister, and defense and foreign ministers. Yushchenko said he would veto the legislation. The two groups managed to collect a previously unheard of 300 votes in the 450-seat parliament in four separate votes, more than the majority needed to override presidential vetoes. The president has accused Tymoshenko of 'high treason' and 'working with Russia' as she refused to condemn South Ossetia’s and Abkhazia's declarations of independence. Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich has backed Russia's actions in South Ossetia.
Azerbaijan carefully avoided taking sides, but as they say in Baku, you can't hold two watermelons in one hand. Cheney arrived in Azerbaijan Wednesday and later travelled to Georgia and Ukraine. Visiting Vice President Dick Cheney pledged the United States' "deep and abiding interest" in the security and welfare of Azerbaijan and its neighbors during the first leg of a tour to highlight support for several former Soviet states. Azerbaijan feels vulnerability that following Russia's incursion into Georgia, in light of its role in the supply of oil and gas to the West, and observers predicted that "they will discuss how to save Azerbaijan from [potential] Russian attack." Azerbaijan has long played a middle-man in its relations with the United States and Russia, but its strong and immediate support for Georgia in its crisis with Russia could be indicative of a change of course. The trip comes as the United States prepares to announce a $1 billion economic aid package to help Georgia rebuild after Russia's military action.
"I think [the Bush administration] do want to send [to Russia] a message of firmness," Stanley Kober, a longtime analyst of Russia and the Soviet Union, told RFE/RL. "But my concern here is the rhetoric, at least, is becoming extreme." Kober likened the current maneuvering to a game of chess: "You make a move, and then the other guy makes a move. And one of the problems is that I'm not seeing enough attention to 'Well, if we do this, what will be the response?'"
In an interview with the Euronews TV channel, Dmitry Medvedev said he regretted Europe’s lack of understanding about why Russia acted in South Ossetia. However, Russia's President said common sense prevailed at the emergency EU summit in Brussels. "I'd say the results were twofold. First, unfortunately, there is still no understanding of Russia's motives in making the decision to repulse Georgia's aggression, and in making the decision to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as subjects of international law. This is deplorable - but not fatal, because in this world, things change. That's the first point. Another point is much more positive. Even though the EU countries were somewhat divided on this issue, a reasonable and realistic approach prevailed. Some countries called for some imaginary sanctions and punishments but it didn't happen. And I think Europe, primarily the European Union, is better off this way. ... as for other international instruments, say, the G8, it’s not capable of functioning without Russia. Moreover, G8 countries now realise that apart from countries like, say, China and India, without using the so-called “outreach” format, many decisions made by the G8 won’t be fully effective, to say nothing of decisions made without Russia. Thus, the G8 will not survive without Russia. ... The matter of the WTO is a particular economic subject. Indeed, we would like to join the WTO, but not at any cost. We have been negotiating on this issue for a long time, and unfortunately these talks haven’t been universally successful. Our position was simple: unless we made a deal soon, we were going to pull out of some treaties that imposed certain restrictions on us with regard to the WTO. We are probably going to go ahead with these steps, unless we see progress in the WTO process shortly."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Italian reporters in an interview broadcast by Russia’s Vesti Channel that relations between Russia and NATO are currently not simple. “All calls to restrict cooperation between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance seem to be double-edged. They will deal a greater blow to NATO countries,” Medvedev stressed. “We do not see anything dramatic or complicated in suspending these relations if our partners insist, but I think they will lose more from it,” he added.
The European Parliament condemned Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia but the assembly has welcomed the EU's decision to send an observer mission to the conflict area to investigate the situation. Wednesday's resolution in Brussels also urges Russia to completely withdraw its troops from Georgia.
Sources in South Ossetia suggest the republic is ready to sign a military agreement with Russia. It's reported that a deal may come as early as Tuesday, which would allow Russia to deploy more troops in the region. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity has already asked Russia to build a base in the region to help ensure peace and stability. There is no hurry to establish Russian military bases in South Ossetia, President Eduard Kokoity was cited by the republic's press and information committee as saying.
"We are interested in fulfilling the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan in the shortest term possible," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said of a French-brokered cease-fire to end the most intense fighting in Georgia. "It is written in black and white in that plan that until international mechanisms have been created, Russian troops will carry out additional security measures, and that is what Russian peacekeepers are doing in the security zone now." Lavrov said "We in the Russian Federation think it is necessary for the OSCE to make a decision about an international police force. We hope that the European Union can play a leading role in this process".
Abkhazia and South Ossetia should decide for themselves whether they want international observers working on their territory, the Russian foreign minister said. Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting with his Belgian counterpart Karel De Gucht that the issue of sending international observer missions to South Ossetia and Abkhazia from the EU or any other organization "should not be addressed to us [Moscow], but to Tskhinvali and Sukhumi." South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity, however, said earlier that no international monitors would be allowed in South Ossetia, adding that, "We can hold talks with the OSCE, the EU and our friends from the UN only on observer numbers. But the observers will not be working on the territory of South Ossetia, but on Georgian soil."
Moscow accuses Georgia of violating the agreed conditions. ”The Medvedev-Sarkozy six-point plan states that Georgian troops must return to their quarter. What we are witnessing now is quite the opposite of that. We can see that Georgian troops are being re-equipped and some are being relocated not far from Russian peacekeeping posts,” said Andrey Nesterenko, Russia’s Foreign Ministry representative.
The Bush administration Wednesday announced a $1 billion economic aid package for Georgia to help that country recover from last month's conflict with Russia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. package is part of an unprecedented global show of support for Georgia in the face of aggression by its larger neighbor. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department. Rice coupled announcement of the aid plan with harsh criticism of Russian behavior during and after the brief conflict. The U.S. aid package is entirely economic and U.S. officials say they hope more than half of it, about $570 million, can be delivered by the end of the year.
The International Monetary Fund has agreed in principle to lend Georgia $750 million to soften the economic impact of a war with Russia, which may slow growth significantly. Following a request by the Georgian authorities for IMF financial support, an IMF mission visited Tbilisi August 23-September 3 and has reached an agreement in principle on a $750 million financial package. The proposed arrangement requires the approval of the IMF Executive Board, which is expected to consider Georgia's request in mid-September. The loan would be provided through an 18-month Stand-By Arrangement.
The Russian stock market finished with most traded securities falling sharply. The RTS index dropped 4 percent to 1,592.89 points and the MICEX index fell 3.21 percent to 1,324.99 points. The majority of blue chips settled in negative territory on MICEX. The Russian market may fall further. The dollar's appreciation against the ruble signaled that foreign investors continue pulling out of the Russian market.
The United Nations refugee agency says it is concerned about the humanitarian situation in and around the Georgian town of Gori, just south of the boundary with the breakaway region of South Ossetia. The UNHCR reports displaced people say they fled from marauding militias and are fearful about the future. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. The UN refugee agency says shelters in Gori are overflowing and cannot hold any more people. It says it has registered about 4,200 internally displaced people, all of whom came from villages in the so-called buffer zone between Gori and the South Ossetian border.
Nearly 160,000 people were displaced during the conflict between Georgia and Russia, which erupted on August 8. The vast majority of those who fled to the Russian Federation, some 30,000, have returned to their homes in South Ossetia.
Tuesday 02 September 2008
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russia will respond calmly to the presence of NATO warships in the Black Sea. "Our response will be calm, not hysterical, but there will definitely be a response," Putin said. Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn also said on Tuesday that Russia was concerned over the presence of the five NATO warships in the Black Sea.
From January 1, 2009, the Ukrainian leadership is planning to put up the rent for the Crimean territories where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is stationed, according to Russia’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper. It claims the corresponding documents are being prepared by Ukraine’s Ministries of Foreign Relations and Defence. The rent price was calculated in 1997 and defined in the treaty of disposition of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine. The cost of renting port facilities was agreed at $US 98 million. Ukraine’s former Defence Minister and now a member of parliament Anatoly Gritsenko says the country should pay off the debt and put up the rent – to $US 1 billion a year at least. His colleague Yury Kostenko believes the price should be $US 2.5 billion.
A contingent of 500 Russian peacekeepers will stay in a buffer zone between Georgia and South Ossetia, Russia's ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov told a press conference. The additional troops that were deployed as part of Russia's peacekeeping operation in the region have now withdrawn completely, Chizhov said. He noted that Russian peacekeepers were currently staying in the security zone, particularly in the port of Poti.
Abkhazia will not host new Russian military bases on its territory, the leader of the region recently recognized by Russia as independent said. "There will be no new bases," Sergei Bagapsh said, adding that Russia's Black Sea Fleet will not be based in the republic either. Russia has always claimed that it closed down its military base in Gudauta in 2001 as envisaged by the OSCE Istanbul treaty, but according to some sources about 400 personnel are still stationed at the base, along with some combat and transport helicopters, various military vehicles, a fuel storage area, and other facilities. The Russian military also maintains the Bombora airfield, which is part of the Gudauta base complex.
The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev criticised the EU's emergency summit in Brussels. Medvedev said the meeting showed that: “unfortunately, there is still no understanding of Russia's motives in making the decision to repulse Georgia's aggression, and in making the decision to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as subjects of international law. This is deplorable but not fatal, because in this world, things change”, he said. Medvedev went on to say the EU was taking a pragmatic stance over the conflict: ”Even though the EU countries were somewhat divided on this issue, a reasonable and realistic approach prevailed. Some countries called for some imaginary sanctions and punishments but it didn't happen. And I think Europe, primarily the European Union, is better off this way,” Medvedev said.
The president also pointed out that Russia had not been ostracised by the international community. ”Russia doesn't want to be isolated, and in fact it is impossible to isolate Russia. The fact of the matter is, after this recognition we all should consider the security architecture we want to have in our complex world in the years to come. It is totally obvious to me that the events that started with Georgian aggression on August 8 made this issue very urgent. The former security architecture proved itself ineffective”.
Russia is not satisfied that Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia is not mentioned in an EU statement following the bloc's summit on Monday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told journalists. Putin also regretted that the document mentioned Russia's allegedly inadequate and disproportionate response to Georgia's actions, while not specifying that those actions were pure acts of aggression.
Russia offered a muted response to Monday's European Union special summit meeting on Georgia, saying the majority of European countries confirmed the path toward partnership with Russia. A statement released on the Russian Foreign Ministry website says a minority of EU countries called for a freeze in relations and condemned Russian foreign policy. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko later read the entire statement at a Moscow news conference. But the Ministry's main point, as read by Nesterenko, is that the EU majority demonstrated a responsible approach by confirming its path towards partnership with Russia, fully realizing the meaning of mutually beneficial cooperation.
An agreement to build Russian military bases in South Ossetia will be signed on September 2 in the South Ossetian capital city of Tskhinvali, announced Tarzan Kokoity, Deputy Chairman of the republic’s parliament. The move will defy the West as military bases in South Ossetia would not only ensure security for South Ossetia, but they could also pose a military threat to NATO’s plans in Georgia. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity said earlier that his republic would offer Russia to build a military base in the republic. Apparently, Moscow decided to accept the offer. A motorized infantry brigade could be deployed in the South Ossetian town of Dzhava. The strategic Trans-Caucasus Highway, linking Russia to Trans-Caucasian countries, runs through South Ossetia. South Ossetia and North Ossetia have always been Russia’s outposts.
Monday 01 September 2008
Russia wants an international police presence in "security zones" along the line separating Georgia from its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told a news briefing that such a presence, arranged by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), was a confidence-building measure needed for Russia to withdraw its forces from the disputed zones. "The Russian side has no intention of keeping its peacekeeping forces outside the boundaries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia forever," he said. "At the same time, we will insist on reliable international control in Georgian districts adjacent to [South Ossetia and Abkhazia's] territory to prevent the preparation by the Georgian regime for new military adventures."
By some accounts, more than a million Georgians across the former Soviet republic have protested against Russian military action and the Kremlin's backing for the country's two separatist regions. Many waving the red-and-white Georgian flag, protesters linked arms in the capital Tbilisi in a "human chain" that snaked through the city under cloudy skies. The figure, which could not be independently confirmed, would account for more than a fifth of the Black Sea state's population of 4.5 million.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for an embargo on arms supplies to Georgia, as they might lead to further escalation in the region. “For a start, it would be a right step to place an embargo on weapons exports to Georgia until it is run as a normal country. We are interested in closely cooperating with the OSCE and the UN in order to guarantee security in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as stated in the six principles signed by Presdent Medvedev and President Sarkozy”.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov at the Foreign Ministry’s MGIMO University on the Occasion of the New Academic Year, September 1, 2008 said "Russia has returned to the world arena as a responsible state which can stand up for its citizens. If somebody was mistaken on that score, then our resolute actions to force Georgia to peace and our recognition, due to the circumstances, of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia should have dispelled any such doubts. With its reaction to the Georgian aggression Russia has set a certain standard of responding that fully complies with international law, including the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and our specific commitments in terms of the settlement of this conflict. Moreover, Russia and its peacekeepers have followed our deeply Christian tradition of dying for our friends. ... On the firm basis of international law, the Constitution and laws of Russia, we are going to protect the life and dignity of our citizens, wherever they are, and to support the interests of Russian business and develop privileged relations with Russia’s friends in different regions."
The European Union has strongly condemned Russian action in Georgia and agreed to suspend talks with Moscow on a wide-ranging partnership agreement until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia. European Union leaders gathered for a summit in Brussels Monday to figure out how to respond to the crisis between Russia and Georgia - and what kind of action to take against Moscow after it recognized two breakaway Georgian regions as independent states. EU leaders called Russian military action in Georgia unacceptable and condemned its recognition of the two breakaway regions. There was also a warning that relations between the EU and Russia could suffer. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who holds the rotating EU presidency, said Europe wants a real partnership with Russia. But, he said, it takes two to make that happen. So for now, Europe has postponed talks on a wide-ranging economic and political partnership agreement with Russia until Moscow withdraws its troops from Georgia.
The 27-nation organization was expected to discuss future relations with Russia. Ahead of the emergency EU summit on the Russia-Georgia conflict, some members were arguing for continued dialogue, while others talk of sanctions. Two draft resolutions were under discussion - one proposed by Poland, calling for tough measures, and the other sponsored by Italy, which only contains mild criticism. A number of member states, including Britain and Poland, have called for sanctions against Moscow, as well as the postponement of talks on a new partnership and cooperation agreement with Russia. The European Union's leverage over Moscow is limited. Many EU countries depend on Russian gas. Former British Foreign Secretary David Owen said sanctions are not a viable option for the E.U. because they would expose Europe's weakness, its dependence on Russian energy exports. "Europe is divided over Russia. And one of the problems is that Germany, France and Italy have a very heavy dependence on Russian gas. But the fact is that all the European Union is very dependent on Russian energy supplies," he said.
A lot of European companies have made, and are making investments in Russia. Germany is an enormous exporter to Russia. Many Germany companies depend on their sales to the Russian market. News reports from Paris indicated there will be no decision on sanctions. French diplomats say Monday's European Union summit was not likely to impose sanctions on Russia in response to the Georgian crisis. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had raised the sanctions issue Thursday.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he was taking steps to prevent a new standoff between the West and Russia over the recent conflict in Georgia. Speaking on Canale 5 ahead of an EU summit to be held later on Monday, which will focus on the Georgia crisis and relations with Russia, Berlusconi said: "It is absolutely essential to prevent a situation where the current crisis in the Caucasus is used as a fuse to ignite a new Cold War." Berlusconi said: "Russia remains a military power, a country whose nuclear capabilities are enough to destroy the planet's population 10 times over, a country whose economy has grown 7-8% annually, a country that is rich in oil and gas that is needed by Europe."
Russia will exclude 19 American companies from the list of poultry meat exporters to Russia starting from September 1, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance reported. The regulator had already sent a full list of excluded companies to the US Department of Agriculture. According to the service, these companies have systematically violated Russia's veterinary legislation. Around 120 companies will remain on the list of suppliers to Russia, but the regulator said 29 other firms face the same ban unless they raise their standards. The United States is Russia's largest poultry supplier. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had earlier mentioned the ban, but insisted it was nothing to do with ongoing political tensions with the U.S. government, which has strongly criticized Russia for its military operation in Georgia and recognition of Georgian rebel regions. Vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden, who heads the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, said he was alarmed by Russia's ban, and urged the U.S. government to take response measures.
Turkish trade minister Kursad Tuzmen said that on September 1 Turkey will impose curbs on Russian exports and withdraw support for its membership of the World Trade Organization. Russia has introduced new custom regulations which, according to Tuzmen, could cost Turkey as much as $3 billion. Tuzmen attacked the regulations as political, saying Moscow may be punishing it for allowing the U.S. ships to pass through the Bosporus. Turkey's trade with Russia is over $10 billion, and the country is overly dependent on Russian gas at 64 percent and 40 percent for Russia oil.
Russian media reports that Russian troops returning from their operation in Georgia received a heroes welcome back home. One of the last Russian units to leave South Ossetia was greeted on the Transcaucasion highway by North Ossetians. The people said they were thankful to soldiers who risked their lives to stop Georgian aggression against South Ossetians. Soldiers were offered Ossetian treats and beer by locals wearing traditional dresses. Sixty four Russian soldiers lost their lives and over three hundred were wounded in the brief war.
This past summer has been the worst in a decade for Russia’s stock exchange market, with the benchmark RTS index sinking by more than 30 percent. In the autumn, the Russian economy will face the consequences of the market fall in the summer months, in the form of accelerating inflation. The new wave of inflation could deal a heavy blow to the country’s manufacturing sector, triggering yet another fall of the stock market.
The humanitarian organization, Human Rights Watch accused Russia of using cluster munitions in Georgia during fighting between the two countries over Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia. Russia disputed those charges. Human Rights Watch also said Georgia had admitted using the weapons in its drive against South Ossetia. The group said a number of civilians were killed and wounded by these weapons.
Sunday 31 August 2008
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the West will not be held to ransom by Moscow and vowed a "root and branch" review of relations between the European Union and Russia. Writing in the British weekly "The Observer," Brown sent a message to Russia: "If you want to be welcome at the top table of organizations" such as the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and World Trade Organization, "you must accept that with rights come responsibilities." Brown said he would argue at the September 1 EU summit in Brussels that Russia should accept Georgia's territorial integrity and withdraw its troops to the positions they occupied before the military action over South Ossetia. He also urged NATO to reevaluate its relationship with Russia and intensify its support to Georgia and other states that may face "Russian aggression."
Saturday 30 August 2008
Russian troops still control significantly more Georgian territory than they did a month ago and no one can answer the key question: How can the occupiers be forced to leave? But Georgian officials are openly gleeful over Moscow's diplomatic isolation, as its friends decline to join the Kremlin in recognizing the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions. In the longer term, Russia will surely succeed in creating internal political instability in Georgia.
Friday 29 August 2008
UNOSAT conducted satellite-based damage assessment for the affected villages from Kekhvi to Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, Georgia following the armed conflict between Georgian and Russian military forces, August 2008. Damaged buildings have been identified with WorldView-1 & Formosat-2 satellite imagery acquired on 19 August 2008. Affected buildings were classified either as destroyed or severely damaged by standard satellite image interpretation methods. Destroyed buildings have been defined either by the total collapse of the structure or when it was standing but with less than 50% of the roof still intact. Severely damaged buildings were defined as having visible structural damage to a portion of one wall, or where a section of the roof was damaged but with over 50% of the roof still intact. The estimated total number of affected buildings for the selected villages is approximately 1,050. Of this total 794 buildings have likely been destroyed and 256 buildings have likely been severely damaged. A further 5,372 buildings were identified as showing no visible damage in the available satellite imagery.
Recent satellite images released by the UN program UNOSAT confirm the widespread torching of ethnic Georgian villages inside South Ossetia, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. It said that that detailed analysis of the damage depicted in five ethnic Georgian villages surrounding Tskhinvali – Tamarasheni, Kekhvi, Kvemo Achabeti, Zemo Achabeti and Kurta - shows the destruction “was caused by intentional burning and not armed combat.” “The high-resolution images of these villages show no impact craters from incoming shelling or rocket fire, or aerial bombardment,” HRW said.
Russia's currency and stock market have suffered substantial losses since the outbreak of hostilities in Georgia three weeks ago. Russia's RTS Index of leading stocks fell more than six percent the day hostilities broke out in Georgia and reached their lowest point in nearly two years when President Dmitri Medvedev formally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Bloomberg News reports the Russian ruble is headed for its biggest monthly decline against the U.S. dollar in more than nine years as investors reduce their Russian holdings. In addition, Russia's Central Bank says the country lost more than $16 billion in the week following the launch of military operations in Georgia on August 8. Financial observers attribute the loss to nervous investors pulling capital from Russia. Russian market has not had any influx of fresh capital for about six months. Analysts say Western concerns about investing in Russia could complicate Kremlin plans to modernize and diversify the country's economy.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Western nations will have to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions without Russia's help if they refuse to cooperate with Moscow. Asked in an interview with CNN if the Georgia row could hurt U.S.-Russian cooperation on Iran, Putin said: "If nobody wants to talk with us on these issues and cooperation with Russia is not needed, then for God's sake, do it yourself."
In recent years, the United States has been cultivating the rule of power rather than the rule of international law, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in an interview with CNN. “In essence, in recent years our American partners have been cultivating the rule of power, and not the rule of international law. When we tried to halt the resolution on the independence of Kosovo, nobody would listen to us. We said: don’t do it, wait. You are placing us in a horrible situation in the Caucasus. What will we tell the ethnic minorities of the Caucasus who say: why is it that Kosovo can declare independence, and we can’t? You are making us look like fools!” the Prime Minister said.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andrei Nesterenko, Friday accused NATO of having in recent years "repeatedly and demonstratively" ignored both the United Nations and international law. He said NATO has no moral right to criticize Russian policies.
The rumors of Russia's intention to cut oil supplies to Europe via the Druzhba oil pipeline that have been spread by certain media sources, particularly by British ones, are "a fiction and a blatant provocation", said Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin. He noted that the Soviet Union always fulfilled its contract obligations regardless of the political situation even during the Cold War, and that Russia, as a reliable partner, observed the same principles.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez backed Russia's recognition of two breakaway regions of Georgia on August 29, making Venezuela only the second nation to support Moscow's stance. Russia's neighbor and close ally Belarus has expressed similar support for Moscow's decision to back the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after a brief war between Russia and Georgia this month.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry categorically denied on Friday that Ukrainian military experts are helping to rebuild Georgia's army communications network, damaged in a five-day conflict with Russia. Deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said on Thursday that a British non-governmental organization was training Georgian explosive experts, and Ukrainian specialists were helping install an army communications network in Georgia.
A Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed Friday that her office had been instructed to halt diplomatic ties with Russia immediately. The two officers working at the Georgian Embassy in Moscow have been told to leave Saturday. The move came less than 24 hours after Georgia's parliament voted 106 to zero in favor of breaking relations.
Thursday 28 August 2008
In an interview with CNN Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict may have been staged to secure a victory for one of the presidential candidates in the US. He says preliminary reports show that U.S. citizens may have been present in the combat zone. “We have serious reasons to believe that American citizens were right at the heart of the military action. This would have implications for American domestic policy. If this is confirmed, we will have grounds to suspect that somebody in the US has created this conflict to aggravate the situation and create a competitive advantage for one of the presidential candidates ... We are a peace-loving state and want to co-operate with all our neighbours and other states. But if someone thinks they can just come in and kill us, and that our place is in the cemetery, these people should think of the consequences of such policies”.
The Bush administration vehemently rejected an insinuation by the Russian prime minister that the Bush administration helped foment the crisis between Russia and Georgia to create an issue for the U.S. presidential election campaign. The Putin remarks drew a swift response from the White House, where Press Secretary Dana Perino said the Russian leader's suggestion was patently false, and sounded irrational. There were similar remarks from State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood, who said Moscow appears to be trying to shift blame for what it did in Georgia, and what it has not done -- in failing to heed terms of the French-brokered cease-fire. "Any charges that the U.S. instigated this conflict are ludicrous," Wood said.
US officials said Russia will face consequences for what was termed its disproportionate military action in Georgia and recognition of two breakaway Georgian regions. Wood said there will be consequences for Russia because of its actions in Georgia, and said the United States and key allies are in the process of reviewing relations and considering punitive actions. White House spokeswoman Perino said shelving a landmark U.S.-Russia nuclear cooperation agreement - potentially highly lucrative for Russian firms - is one step under discussion. Evicting Moscow from the G-8 grouping of world powers reportedly is also a possibility.
Military operations in South Ossetia have impacted the financial sector more significantly than expected: the RTS index plunged 14 percent over a two-week period, and the attractiveness of Russian assets decreased sharply. During the first week of the South Ossetian conflict, investors pulled out $15bn from Russia. Economists have revised their forecasts for Russia’s economic growth.
The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) expressed grave concern over tensions in Georgia, but did not give Moscow clear support in its standoff with the West. The SCO members are Russia, China and four Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The SCO members did not recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia's independence, though they "Russia's active role" in resolving the conflict in Georgia. Some SCO members face their own problems with separatism. The original military agreements between the SCO countries were based on counterterrorism and counterseparatism. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not examples Beijing wants independence-minded people in Xinjiang and Tibet to see.
Medvedev thanked the SCO members for their understanding and objective evaluation of Russia’s peacekeeping mission. “Unfortunately, we have to state that attempts are being made to secure certain interests using force, not the principles of strict observance of international law and denial of confrontational bloc thinking,” said the President. “A fine example of such irresponsible criminal actions is Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia. It is well-known who connived with the Georgian authorities and even incited them, pursuing their own profit. Such behavior is unacceptable and should be stopped. In such an extreme situation, we remained reserved and continued our responsible and predictable policy."
The Kremlin under Vladimir Putin had articulated a policy that saw the protection of ethnic Russians living on the territory of the former Soviet Union as an obligation for the Russian government. New President Dmitry Medvedev has already repeated this is still the policy.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says the European Union is considering sanctions against Russia following its recognition of independence for the Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. France called an EU meeting Monday in Brussels to focus on what steps the 27-member bloc will take in terms of future relations with Russia.
Wednesday 27 August 2008
The US, which has backed its ally Georgia since the start of the crisis, was to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti. Russian peacekeepers are also patrolling the port. Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the Russian military's General Staff expressed doubt over humanitarian aid delivered by the NATO ships. The cargo allegedly transported by them could be bought on the nearest flea market, without wasting such naval resources, he pointed out. The US Coast Guard Cutter "Dallas" didn't dock in Poti after all, although it had been expected to deliver U.S. humanitarian aid. Some fanfare, accompanied by Georgian and American flags, had been planned but obviously was called off. Authorities decided at the last moment that the vessel would instead dock at Batumi and deliver the aid there.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia will not object to more international observers being sent to guarantee peace and security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Previously, both the South Ossetian and Abkhazian sides had said they only wanted Russian peacekeepers and observers on their territories.
Lavrov said that Russia was adhering to the six points of the original version of a peace deal brokered by France during Russia's recent conflict with Georgia over breakaway South Ossetia. Western powers have accused Moscow of violating the agreement signed by the Georgian and Russian leaders. However, Lavrov said the document signed by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili bears no relation to that signed by Russia. Lavrov said that after the ceasefire agreement was signed, the text was amended several times, but that the amended text has no relation to the plan Russia agreed to. In particular, he said plans for discussions on the regions' future status, included in the sixth point of the document, were removed from the amended text.
Russia officially informed the UN Secretary General about the country's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence. The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, called on the Security Council to adopt a resolution which would go along with the six point peace plan. "Russia has recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, mindful of its responsibility for ensuring the survival of their fraternal peoples in the face of the aggressive, chauvinistic policy pursued by Tbilisi ... Saakashvili has himself dashed the possibility of the territorial integrity of Georgia. Using repeatedly brutal military force against the peoples, whom, according to his words, he would like to see within his state, Mikhail Saakashvili left them no other choice but to ensure their security and the right to exist through self-determination as independent states.”
However, a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry seemed to suggest that the plan was a dead letter "The vague hopes for the implementation of the joint initiative of the Presidents of Russia and France of August 12, 2008 soon vanished into thin air when Tbilisi actually rejected this initiative and the advocates of Mikhail Saakashvili did his bidding."
The statement also hinted that Moscow would continue efforts to replace the existing government in Georgia with one more sympathetic to Moscow's interests "Russia has sincere good and friendly feelings towards the Georgian people, and is confident that Georgia will eventually find worthy leaders who would be able to show proper concern over their country and develop mutually respectful, equal, and good-neighborly relations with all the peoples of the Caucasus. Russia will stand ready to contribute to this in every way."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was pressing for new talks to determine the role of Russian forces in the region, particularly those currently on Georgian soil. Those demands that have been echoed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “I have reiterated that in my view the six-point peace plan regrettably is not fulfilled, particularly in view of the presence of Russian troops in Poti and other checkpoints, and at the same time I made clear why we have condemned the recognition of Abkhazia and Ossetia, also in accordance with the French presidency,” Merkel said.
The Ukrainian government is demanding 72 hours notice each time Russia moves it’s Black Sea fleet from it’s Crimean base in Ukraine. A new law regarding the fleet’s movements has been passed in Ukraine. The law covers ships as well as Russian plane movements over Ukraine. The information required covers personnel, time of departure and the destination port. Russia says the law contradicts agreements made in 1997 between Moscow and Kiev, which determine the conditions under which the fleet could remain.
Tuesday 26 August 2008
Russia's president signed decrees recognizing Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states despite warnings by Western leaders not to do so. "Respected citizens of Russia! You undoubtedly know of the tragedy of South Ossetia," began Dmitry Medvedev in a nationwide televised address. "I have signed decrees on the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the Russian Federation," the president said. Both houses of Russia's parliament voted unanimously on Monday on a resolution asking the president to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. U.S. President George W. Bush had urged Russia not to recognize Georgia's two breakaway regions as independent, and has sent his deputy Dick Cheney to Georgia in a show of U.S. support.
President Dmitry Medvedev Russia does not want a new Cold War but is not afraid of one should it occur. "We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War, but we don't want one, and in this situation everything depends on the position of our partners," Medvedev said, adding that the West should understand why Moscow recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia's sovereignty. Only two weeks earlier French President Sarkozy and Medvedev had agreed on the six-point plan for a diplomatic and peaceful solution to the Georgia crisis, they envisioned the “opening of international discussions on lasting security and stability arrangements for Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”
Up to 500 Georgian troops had massed in the vicinity of the South Ossetian village of Leninogori, deputy head of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn has announced. He also noted that several groups of the Georgian raiding forces of 30 to 100 people had been spotted in the Georgian-South-Ossetian conflict zone.
Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, held an unscheduled press conference on August 26 to deliver a scathing attack on Georgia’s leadership and particularly on President Mikheil Saakashvili. In his statement, Churkin at least twice made reference to “the future leaders of Georgia,” and never referred to the democratically elected leader of Georgia as the president. Listening to Churkin, one could hardly avoid the feeling that Moscow was firmly bent on regime change in Tbilisi.
Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitri Rogozin, was recalled for consultations with top Kremlin leaders, including President Medvedev. Rogozin announced what he termed as "the modernization" of Russian-NATO relations, which includes termination or suspension activities related to military affairs. Rogozin said visits to Russia by senior NATO military officials will be suspended, NATO naval vessels will not be allowed to visit Russian ports, and joint military exercises will be halted. Rogozin also noted temporary suspension of visits by NATO military experts and instructors, as well as work to develop a legal basis for the NATO-Russian relationship and operational compatibility of each other's forces. He said the suspensions would last at least through the end of the year.
The plunge in the Russian stock markets can be attributed to the reaction of investors concerned over the escalation of conflict in South Ossetia. As of around 3 p.m., the RTS index plummeted 6 percent to 1,547 points, and the MICEX index dropped 5 percent to 1,252 points. Experts believe that most speculators are wary of the possible continuation of military operations, or hostile moves that could be made by the US or Western European countries. Russian investors may start buying stocks on the market once the panic has subsided. About an hour and a half before the close of the special dollar trading session for tomorrow deals, the high on deals reached 24.77 RUB/USD, which was RUB 0.19 higher than the official rate set by the Bank of Russia for the next day. The decline in the value of the ruble was attributed to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's announcement on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence.
Monday 25 August 2008
NATO had so far deployed the USS McFaul and the US Coast Guard Cutter Dallas, the Polish frigate General Pulaski, the German frigate FGS Lubeck, and the Spanish navy ship Admiral Juan de Borbon and four from Turkey.
President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia could sever all ties with NATO amid a standoff over Russia's response to Georgia's offensive in breakaway South Ossetia. NATO suspended cooperation with Russia last week, and said "business as usual" could not resume until the country withdraws all troops from Georgia. If NATO is not willing to cooperate with Moscow, "we will take any decision, up to terminating relations entirely," Medvedev told Russia's envoy to the alliance, Dmitry Rogozin. "Cooperation is above all in the interests of NATO, not Russia," he said. "We want our relations to be full-fledged and those of partners, but we do not want an illusion of partnership," the president said. "Naturally we are not happy with being surrounded by military bases, and being told 'do not worry, everything's fine,' let alone with the latest events."
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said his country had no need for any illusions of partnership with NATO, adding it is only natural that Moscow does not like the eastward expansion of the alliance. Medvedev says cooperation is above all in the interest of NATO countries, not Russia. The Kremlin leader says that if they break up cooperation, nothing bad will happen to Russia, which he says is prepared to terminate the relationship entirely.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia sees no advantages to World Trade Organization (WTO) membership and should freeze some commitments made during entry talks in a sign Moscow is pulling away from the West after its conflict with Georgia. Putin said Russia's economy would incur a heavy burden in meeting WTO membership requirements and that some of these demands were against the country's interests.
Russia intends to temporarily pull out of several agreements signed during talks on its accession to the WTO, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said during the meeting of the government's Presidium. The official explained that while Russia planned to continue the talks, it was looking to suspend certain agreements that were against its interests at the moment. However, Russia will meet its obligations under these agreements in full as soon as it has joined the WTO, Shuvalov noted. Russia wants to join the WTO, but doubts it will be accepted into the global trade body within the next 12 months, the country's first deputy prime minister said. "The government says WTO accession is in line with Russia's strategic interests, and we will do everything necessary for talks to conclude with Russia joining. However, for the time being, we must note that we see no prospects for WTO accession within several months or a year," Igor Shuvalov told journalists. He said that Russia would continue the accession process, but at the same time would terminate some of the trade agreements it had previously reached with the WTO as being too onerous. "Russia intends to notify its WTO partners about its withdrawal from accords that are in conflict with its interests," he said.
Lawmakers in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, unanimously adopted a resolution calling on President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Just hours earlier, the same resolution sailed through the upper house, the Federation Council. Until now, the Kremlin has supported Georgia's two separatist regions financially and politically, but has stopped short of officially recognizing their sovereignty.
Russia has information that Georgia is planning a military attack on Abkhazia to seize the capital Sukhumi, the Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, told a media briefing in Moscow. He said that the military potential of Georgia was being restored for a repeated act of aggression. "We have received serious intelligence information, and we shall discuss in detail the Georgian-Abkhazian direction on Tuesday," he said. "The information is serious. If many media outlets still see Russia as the aggressor in the South Ossetian direction, the plan for seizing Sukhumi is so clear that we shall be able to prove that Georgia was the aggressor in the second direction as well," he added.
Friday 22 August 2008
Russia is very concerned about the recent growth of Georgia’s military potential, according to the Deputy Chief of Russia's General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn. Nogovitsyn said Georgia occupied a leading position in the world as far as the speed of its military expenditure growth is concerned. According to Nogovitsyn, in 2002 it had a defence budget of $US 18 million and by 2008 it has soared 50-fold to $US 900 million. According to some estimates, Tbilisi is spending 8.5 per cent of the country’s GDP on its military. In the period from 2006 to 2007, the number of Georgia’s military personnel doubled. ”Since 2005, the number of Georgia’s tanks has increased from 98 to 183, armoured vehicles from 83 to 134, artillery weapons from 96 to 238, combat helicopters from three to nine and warplanes from seven to nine,” Nogovitsyn said.
Russia is not planning to discuss the creation of buffer zones with Georgia, deputy chief of Russia's armed forces General Staff Lieutenant General Anatoly Nogovitsyn told journalists. He pointed out that the countries had reached an agreement, which Georgia violated unilaterally. Therefore, Russia believes that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has neither moral, nor legal right to set forth any conditions at the moment, as Russia is poised to carry out its peacekeeping mandate. Nogovitsyn also said that all zones, in which the peacekeepers were stationed, were legitimate and within the framework of existing agreements. He reiterated that a total of 18 checkpoints with 2,142 peacekeepers were located on the border with Georgia.
NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for South Caucasus and Central Asia, Mr. Robert Simmons discussed with journalists prospective of Georgia-NATO future cooperation " at the ministerial allies have reaffirmed their recognition of Georgia’s goal of joining Euro-Atlantic institutions. We affirmed the Bucharest decisions that Georgia will be a member of the Alliance. We’ll continue the process we work with the Minister, so we’ll have the evaluation of the process in December at the Foreign Ministers’ Meetings. We also discussed that we’ll create a NATO -Georgia Commission and I think out of that it will mean that Minister will meet with his counterparts, NATO Ministers."
Mr. Robert Simmons said that in the near term NATO would ",,, focus on helping the Georgian government rebuild its military we’ll use the good defence priming processes and cooperation that we have with the immediate set of visits to Georgia to begin the discussions how best we do that and to work individually with the allies whether they can contribute to this assistance, that includes in defence planning, the military equipment, second, rebuilding the air defence structures, air traffic management system over Georgia which obviously has been damaged, but looking at particular areas like demining and other areas as well..."
Thursday 21 August 2008
Syria says it’s ready to put a Russian missile system on its soil as a counterweight to U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. The offer was made during a meeting between Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad and President Dmitry Medvedev in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Meanwhile, Moscow is considering a request from Syria for more Russian-made weapons. It was the first meeting between the two leaders, and President Al-Assad was keen to show Syria’s support for Russia. "We understand what is behind Russia's position ... We believe this is a response to Georgian provocation. We support Moscow in this and are against any attempts to blacken Russia," Al-Assad said.
Moscow has temporarily suspended cooperation with NATO. It follows NATO’s criticism of Russia’s actions in South Ossetia and threats to shut down the NATO-Russia Council. Lavrov was clear on Russia’s course: “We are not going to slam the door on NATO. NATO could slam this door, though. Everything depends on NATO's priorities: if the priorities are absolutely supportive of Saakashvili's bankrupt regime to the detriment of partnership with Russia, then it is not our fault,” he said.
The withdrawal of units of the Russian 58th Army from the Georgian city of Gori started on Thursday morning, the Russian Defence Ministry has told Interfax news agency. More than 40 items of military hardware, including armoured personnel carriers, multiple missile launchers, combat vehicles and military trucks, are heading towards the Russian border. The Ministry says the withdrawal of troops is going ahead on schedule.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, following talks between President Dmitry Medvedev of the Russian Federation and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Sochi, August 21, 2008, said "NATO partners need our support in their Afghanistan operation even more, especially as the fate of the North Atlantic Alliance is indeed being decided in Afghanistan – whether it can fulfill the goals which have been put forward in its transformation or not. That Russia’s assistance is critical for NATO is confirmed by the fact that already after the well-known NATO Council meeting at ministerial level, where a rather sharply worded, if devoid of any specificity document was adopted, key alliance members would approach us and whisper in our ears: “I hope you will not stop cooperating with NATO on Afghanistan.” "
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Tuesday 19 August 2008
Monday 18 August 2008
Sunday 17 August 2008
U.S. President George W. Bush, said Moscow's signing of the truce was "hopeful," but that there can be no question that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will remain within Georgia's borders. "The international community is clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia and the United States fully recognizes this reality and will continue to stand behind Georgia's democracy and will continue to insist that Georgia's sovereignty and independence and territorial integrity be respected," Bush said from his home in Crawford, Texas.
On Sunday 17 August 2008 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Russia must follow through on its promise. "Yet again, the Russian president has given his word, and I hope this time he will honor it," Rice said. Rice was speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program. She said Moscow will pay a price on the world stage for its actions. "There have already been significant consequences for Russia," Rice said. "Any notion that Russia was the kind of responsible state [that is] ready to integrate into international institutions of the political, diplomatic, security, economic kind -- this forward-leaning, modern Russia -- that reputation is, frankly, in tatters."
Barack Obama and John McCain seem to have found common ground in the Caucasus. The two candidates took turns answering questions in a religious forum moderated by a pastor. McCain used the opportunity to once again lecture Russia on foreign policy. ”The Russians must respect the entire territorial integrity of Georgia, and there's only four million people in Georgia, my friends. I've been there. It's a beautiful little country. They are wonderful people,” McCain assured. As expected, Obama took a more neutral stance and called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. ”I think that the basic principle has to be that if we have it within our power to prevent mass killing and genocide and we can work in concert with the international community to prevent it, then we should act,” he said.
President Dmitry Medvedev said Russian regular forces will begin withdrawing from Georgia beginning on August 18. The pledge came after Moscow followed Tbilisi in signing a cease-fire agreement that calls on Russian forces to withdraw to positions they held before fighting broke out.
The Russian military has said that keeping its troops on Georgian territory is not a breach of the ceasefire agreement. A spokesman said Russian troops were maintaining positions around Gori, but insisted this was only to prevent looting and arms smuggling. French President Sarkozy acknowledged that the cease-fire permited Russian troops to patrol "a few kilometers" beyond the conflict zone in South Ossetia, but says that any additional Russian security measures would "in no way limit or put in danger" the freedom of movement along Georgia's road and rail network. German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Moscow to step up its withdrawal, calling it an issue of "credibility." She spoke at a joint news conference with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili says the country won’t give up “any square kilometre of its territory” in a warning to its breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The comments are in stark contrast to the words of the leaders of the two republics, who say referendums have proved that their citizens don’t want to remain part of Georgia. Saakashvili was speaking at a joint news conference in Tbilisi with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Russians confirmed that they had taken control of the area around the Inguri power plant. The 892-ft Inguri Dam is the world's highest concrete arch dam. The Inguri hydroelectric station (HES) is a cascade of hydroelectric stations including, in addition to the dam - diversion installation of the Inguri HES proper, the near-dam installation of the Perepad HES-1 and three similar channel installations of the Perepad HESs-2, -3, and -4 located on the tailrace emptying into the Black Sea. The HESs of the cascade use the fall of two rivers, the Inguri and Eristskali, by diverting the waters of the Inguri into the Eristskali. In November 2002, Georgia had announced a tender for work to be done on the country’s largest hydropower project, the Inguri. The estimated $62 million project is designed to increase the facility’s capacity to 1,300 megawatts from the current level of around 400 megawatts. A very high percentage of the electricity supply in Georgia comes from the Inguri plant. If the Russians were to retain control of it, they could effectively blackmail Georgia by switching off electricity supplies.
Saturday 16 August 2008
There were indications that the Russians were seeking to destroy the infrastructure of Georgia to the point where it would be difficult for Georgia to recover. One indication was the bombing of the Georgian railway line at a crucial bridge at the Mtkvari River, near Grakali. This bridge was crucial not only for Georgia, one has to say, but to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Armenia is almost totally reliant on this railway to get its exports out to the Western world and to get its imports into Armenia. Azerbaijan is less reliant, but certainly a lot of its oil and gas still went out via that railway to the Georgian ports of Batumi and Poti. By severing that link, Russia has deliberately vandalized a critically important element in the economies, not just of Georgia but of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Friday 15 August 2008
In the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where he hosted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev addressed the tough talk coming out of Washington. "No one is rejecting the principle of territorial integrity as one of the fundamental principles of international law. The question is about a concrete situation in a concrete country, and here is where the main difficulties begin," he said. "Unfortunately, after what happened, the Ossetians and the Abkhaz will hardly want to live in the same state with Georgians.... Russia as a guarantor of security in the Cacausion region will accept the solution which will reflect in unambiguous terms the will of these two Caucasasian peoples." Medvedev said Moscow is not against the presence of international peacekeepers in the two regions, but that "the Ossetians and the Abkhaz themselves trust nobody else but Russian peacekeepers. That’s because over the last 15 years, the only troops that have been capable of upholding their interests, and, unfortunately sometimes also having to protect their lives, have been the Russian army" Medvedev said: “Peace in the region should be re-established and guaranteed so that no idiotic ideas ever come to anyone’s head – that is the main task for the Russian Federation at the present moment.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed support for Georgia's territorial integrity and called Russian actions in Georgia disproportionate. She spoke after talks in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, who expressed doubt that residents of Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will ever accept being part of Georgia.
Speaking in Washington, Bush called on Russia to respect Georgia's territorial integrity and to honor its commitment to withdraw its forces from the country. "With its actions in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world. Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century," Bush said. "Only Russia can decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation and isolation," he added. "To begin to repair its relations with the United States, Europe, and other nations, and to being restoring its place in the world, Russia must respect the freedom of its neighbors."
In Tbilisi, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice worked to get the Georgian president to sign off on the fragile French-brokered cease-fire that stopped fighting this week. "I'm going now to talk to President Saakashvili about the clarifications that the French have provided and then we'll try to get this formal cease-fire in place because the goal of this is to get a cease-fire and to get Russian forces to withdraw from the country ASAP," news agencies quoted Rice as telling reporters en route to the Georgian capital.
Russia's top military official denied claims by a U.S.-based human rights group that Moscow had used cluster bombs in its recent military conflict with Georgia. Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the General Staff, said "We did not use cluster bombs, and what's more there was absolutely no necessity to do so." He in turn accused Georgian troops of planting mines in Tskhinvali as they retreated from the South Ossetian capital earlier this week.
Over 118,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Georgia due to the recent conflict over breakaway South Ossetia, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. "The latest estimates of displacement related to the conflict now total more than 118,000, based on figures provided by the governments," said spokesman Ron Redmond. About 30,000 South Ossetians fled to Russia, while another 15,000 residents of the rebel republic left for Georgia's proper, Redmond said. Outside of South Ossetia, another 73,000 people have been displaced in the rest of Georgia, including most of the population of the town of Gori, near the South Ossetian border, the official added.
Thursday 14 August 2008
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said " ... we cannot have a repeat of what happened in '38, when Neville Chamberlain returned declaring peace in his time and, after all, so what if a small faraway country about which we know nothing is dismembered. Certainly that was the beginning of the conflagration that ensued.... the assumptions that we have held since the end of the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union... that whatever happens inside Russia it will not return to its former ways of invading other countries.... has collapsed and I think it will take a generation to get back to the point where we were in the beginning of August..." President Ilves flew to Tbilisi in the middle of Georgia's war with Russia to stand with four other leaders of former communist countries in support of the Georgian people.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that Russia's relationship with the United States will be damaged for years, if Russia does not step back from its military offensive in Georgia. Gates said the U.S. government had expected the United States and Russia to cooperate in maintaining peace in the region. But he said Russian military behavior in recent days "calls everything into question."
"Russia's behavior over the past week has called into question the entire premise of that dialogue and has profound implications for our security relationship going forward, both bilaterally and with NATO," he said. "If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the U.S.-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come."
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Russian news agencies on Thursday 14 August 2008 as saying the world can forget about talk of Georgia's territorial integrity. The conflict in Georgia involved two fundamental but competing principles of international relations. One principle is the inviolability of international borders established by the United Nations and the Final Act of the 1975 Helsinki Agreement. The other is the principle of self-determination of peoples, as enunciated by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's "14 Points" in 1918.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes that it is time to forget about Gerogia's territorial integrity, the Echo of Moscow radio station reported. Lavrov stressed that it was impossible to force South Ossetians and Abkhazians to agree with the notion that they can be forcefully integrated into Georgia. He noted that in the situation when Tskhinvali had been burned down and many South Ossetian villages destroyed, it was absolutely impossible to include a reference to territorial integrity in any document. Lavrov pointed out that neither Ossetians nor Abkhazians wanted to live with Georgia in one country.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia will seek independence from Tbilisi under international law, the leaders of Georgia's two rebel regions said Thursday at a joint news conference in Moscow. South Ossetia's Eduard Kokoity said Georgia's attack on August 8 made it possible for the two separatist provinces to seek further international recognition. "Despite the severe blow to our nation, South Ossetians' will and striving for independence remains unchanged," he said. "We will seek independence in strict compliance with international law." His pledge was echoed by Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh: "As to our independence, as to our progress toward this goal, no force will make us stop. The goal has been set, and we will advance toward this goal together."
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier Thursday that Russia could increase its peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia. The country had maintained peacekeepers in Georgia's separatist regions since the 1990s, when Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away following bloody conflicts. During the subsequent counter operation to expel Georgian troops from the de facto independent republic and to reinforce Russian peacekeepers, Moscow sent some 10,000 troops and several hundred armored vehicles into the area.
Dmitry Medvedev met with President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity and President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh, the Kremlin, Moscow, August 14, 2008. During the meeting the President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity and President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh signed the six principles for resolving the Georgian-South Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhazian conflicts. Dmitry Medvedev recalled 12 August 2008 as the date that marked the end of operations obliging the Georgian authorities to restore peace and the adoption of principles of conflict resolution. According to the President, the peacekeeping operation in South Ossetia was carried out effectively, fully achieved its objectives, and the peacekeeping forces performed accurately and in full accordance with the tasks they were given. Dmitry Medvedev described Russia’s actions in South Ossetia as absolutely legitimate and justified, stressing that they halted the extermination of an entire people.
In a statement Wednesday, President George W. Bush said Washington would "use U.S. aircraft, as well as naval forces" to distribute supplies, and demanded Russia withdraw troops from Georgia. The first U.S. military aircraft with relief supplies, including medicine, tents and blankets, landed in Georgia Wednesday. Another plane-load was expected Thursday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is leading the U.S. relief effort. The United Nations' World Food Program and refugee agency are also sending aid.
Russia's General Staff said Thursday 14 August 2008 it was concerned by the nature of cargoes the United States was airlifting to Georgia, questioning if they were really humanitarian aid. At a news conference Thursday, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the General Staff, urged the media to press U.S. officials for trustworthy information on the U.S. role in Georgia. "What is going on there?" he asked. "We, the Russians, are extremely concerned about it." Nogovitsyn said "U.S. military transport aircraft are reported to have been airlifting some humanitarian cargoes to Tbilisi airport. Two days ago, reports said we had destroyed the airport."
Wednesday 13 August 2008
On Wednesday 13 August 2008 US President George Bush said Russia may be violating the terms of a cease-fire in Georgia less than a day after agreeing to stop the fighting. The president spoke following reports that a Russian military convoy had pressed deep into Georgian territory. President Bush said he expected Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia and withdraw all forces that had entered the country in recent days.
"We are concerned about reports that Russian units have taken up positions on the east side of the city of Gori, which allows them to block the east-west highway, divide the country, and threaten the capital of Tbilisi," the president said. "We are concerned about reports that Russian forces have entered and taken positions in the port city of Poti, that Russian armed vehicles are blocked access to that port, and that Russia is blowing up Georgian vessels.... We insist that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected. Russia has stated that changing the government of Georgia is not its goal. The United States and the world expect Russia to honor that commitment"
The president said the US military would lead a humanitarian mission to Georgia and he expects Russia to honor its commitment to ensure that all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, airports, roads, and airspace remain open for the delivery of assistance and for civilian transit.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defined the view that the operation had been terminated at US President George Bush’s demand as fundamentally wrong, stressing that the Russian authorities made the decision because the aims of the operation had been achieved.
There will no longer be representatives from Georgia among the peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement. This was due to the behavior of the Georgian military, who fought under the UN flag during the conflict. “The peacekeepers part of the Georgian contingent turned out to be traitors and cowards, shooting their comrades in South Ossetia, and will never be part of the peacekeeping contingent again,” Lavrov stated.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said he refused the services of Russian peacekeepers and insisted that they leave the republic’s territories, which still formally include both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili told journalists in Brussels that "horrible" events had been taking place throughout the day in Georgia. "No cease-fires are in action now; so what is the trust we can put [in] the Russian side?" Tkeshelashvili said. "They still bomb Gori, they still loot the whole villages in and around the conflict zone where the Georgians are living. We have credible information, en masse, that men are taken from the houses, and they are executed."
"European monitors have to be on the ground. Europe has to get engaged physically on the ground, and Europe has to stop [the attacks] from happening," Tkeshelashvili said. "We are part of Europe, and part of Europe is being [attacked] now in a very aggressive manner by armed forces, with large-scale military operations from the Russian side. This [cannot] be happening in the modern world."
European Union foreign ministers have announced they are prepared to send observers to Georgia in a bid to maintain stability. It came as they were meeting in Brussels to discuss their response to the situation of Georgia and South Ossetia. The EU countries say they will support the plan to stabilise the situation in the Caucuses if it receives the backing of the UN Security Council.
The discussion about the security problem in the Caucasus is impossible without considering the status of the self-proclaimed republics, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. At a news briefing in Moscow on Wednesday, he said: "The phrase about the need to internationalize the discussion about ways to ensure South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's stable security means that these issues cannot be resolved out of the status context. "All these issues need to be considered taking into account the objectively existing reality and the administrative system existing in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.” He added: "There is a principle that very clearly reflects the need for a new approach to security issues." But Lavrov said the final version of a plan to settle the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, which was proposed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, does not directly mention their future status.
The sixth point of the ceasefire plan Russia agreed to said the international community should review the fate of Georgia's breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But Georgian President Saakashvili said the territorial integrity of the breakaway regions can never be put under doubt and Georgia had removed the point from its final agreement. [It is a general principle of contract negotiations and interntional diplomacy that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed]
The principle of multilateral talks on the status of the self-proclaimed republics of the Caucasus was challenged by Georgia and amended in a way that Russia eventually agreed to. The new version said that future talks will deal simply with settling the problems of Abkhazia and Ossetia and not specifically their status. The issue of launching an international debate over the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia was taken out of the document. Sarkozy said this amendment was made at the request of the Georgian side and agreed with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. According to the French leader, the matter of the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will be raised later, and will be resolved on the condition that the international community is involved.
The United States canceled a joint naval exercise with Russia, scheduled for this week. US officials also said the Group of Eight world largest economies are considering whether to expel Russia and revert to the G 7. The officials also say Washington may reconsider inviting Russia to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Tuesday 12 August 2008
On 12 August 2008 Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council committee for international relations, Vasily Likhachyov, stressed that there is now every reason to demand the recognition of the status of the independent territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, “based on the logic of the recent events and the fact that these territories, from the point of view of a people’s right to self-determination, are fully-fledged subjects of international law.” Likhachyov is convinced that the Russian members of parliament must return to and review once again the requests of both the Abkhaz and South Ossetian leaders seeking the recognition of their status as independent subjects of international law. He did not rule out the possibility that such requests would once again me made by these republics to the Russian leadership.
Ossetians and Abkhazians should be able to say for themselves whether they want to remain part of Georgia, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev stated during a joint press conference with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy. On 12 August 2008 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev outlined six principles for the peaceful settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, which were endorsed during his talks with President of France Nicolas Sarkozy. The text released by the Kremlin listed the principles as:
- Do not resort to the use of force.
- The absolute cessation of all hostilities.
- Free access to humanitarian assistance.
- The Armed Forces of Georgia must withdraw to their permanent positions.
- The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation must withdraw to the line where they were stationed prior to the beginning of hostilities. Prior to the establishment of international mechanisms the Russian peacekeeping forces will take additional security measures.
- An international debate on the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and ways to ensure their lasting security will take place.
The United States redeployed some 2,000 Georgian troops from Iraq to their home country, where a contingent of fewer than 100 American military personnel remain. American C-17s began shuttling the brigade of Georgian forces Aug. 10 and completed the redeployment 11 August 2008. The U.S.-provided transport adhered to an agreement that U.S. and Georgian government officials arranged before Russian tanks and troops crossed Georgia’s border on Aug. 8. Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United States, meanwhile, was prepared to provide humanitarian aid to Georgia. No humanitarian missions currently were under way.
The US blocked an emergency NATO-Russia Council meeting on Tuesday 12 August 2008 on the situation in South Ossetia. Russia's Foreign Ministry said by doing it Washington is justifying what Moscow calls ‘Georgia's criminal action’. Andrey Nesterenko, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “The main problem, I believe, is lack of will to understand the real situation in South Ossetia which is the result of the aggressive actions from Tbilisi, no will to listen to the other side.”
Russia’s permanent representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said he doesn’t understand why NATO is refusing to hold direct talks in the Russia-NATO Council framework. “We're told that it's a technical problem. The U.S. delegation failed to show up this morning at NATO headquarters which resulted in the Russia-NATO Council not going ahead. ‘NATO permanent representatives needed more time to figure out what happened’ – this is very odd because NATO permanent representatives had enough time to discuss this problem here today during the Council session.
