Washington, DC

(Washington, DC) Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Co-Chairmen of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), made the following statement on Russia’s assault on the Republic of Georgia:
“Russia’s intervention into Georgia is a clear violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity and Principle Four of the Helsinki Final Act,” said Co-Chairmen Hastings and Cardin. “We urge Moscow to cease its military operations immediately.”

Chairman Hastings noted, “The Russian Federation has departed from its commitment to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) guiding principles of refraining from the threat of or use of force in the settlement of disputes; respect for the inviolability of borders and the territorial integrity of states; and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Co-Chairman Cardin commented, “Georgia and Russia have accused each other of responsibility for this military confrontation. But Moscow’s rejection of arbitration by the international community clearly demonstrates its indifference to cooperation and ending the hostilities, which have been building.”

MEDIA ADVISORY, Contact: Monika Ramanauskaite
August 12, 2008, Tel: (301) 340-1954

CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COALITION
1612 K Street, N.W., Suite 410
Washington, D.C. 20006

RE: PRESS CONFERENCE ON RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN CONFLICT
WHEN: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
WHERE: Cannon House Office Building, Room#441
TIME: 3:00pm

Washington, DC (CEEC) - The Central and East European Coalition (CEEC)* will sponsor a press conference to discuss the current status of the Russian invasion of Georgia. Speakers will include Mr. Mamuka Tsereteli, President – Georgian Association of the U.S.; Amb. Bill Courtney, former U.S. ambassador to Georgia; and, members of the Central and East European Coalition representing various American national organizations of Central and East European heritage. “The goal of this press conference is to bring attention to grave effects of the Russian invasion on the Georgian nation, as well as the implications for other countries in the region. The threats of a Russian ‘sphere of influence’ are looming over the Central and East European countries,” remarked Marju Rink-Abel, President of the Estonian American National Council.

The CEEC has issued a statement (attached) regarding the Russian invasion of the sovereign territory of Georgia.

Ambassador of Georgia to the USA, Canada and Mexico H.E. Dr. Vasil Sikharulidze
National Press Club
Washington, DC
11 August, 2008

I want to thank each of you for coming here at this late hour. I appreciate your attendance on such a short notice.

The time is a critical for my country – a free and democratic Georgia faces extinction at the hands of a brutal Russian invasion that is designed to change state regime in Georgia and destroy the country. This must not, must not, be allowed to happen.

As I stand here, Georgian military units have pulled back to the capital and formed a final defensive perimeter awaiting another Russian attack.

The entire country of Georgia since Friday has faced overwhelming attacks as Russia has used its military might to invade my country—by land, by sea and by air. Cyber attacks have taken down government websites and news outlets to blind the media and world community to their invasion.

Make no mistake, this Russian invasion was premeditated, well planned and executed. Russia has used the separatist conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia that it masterminded, organized, financed, and fought alongside the separatists in the early 1990s, as a launch pad for its military invasion.