Ministry of Foreign Affairs

12 August 2008
Press and Information Department

Comment of the Press and Information Department to a question of the News-Georgia Agency concerning Georgia’s withdrawal from CIS

Question: How would you assess the comment of spokesperson A. Nesterenko of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to a question of Itar-Tass correspondent regarding President Saakashvili’s statement on Georgia’s withdrawal from CIS?

Answer: It is a sovereign right of each country to make a decision on its membership in any international organization. CIS as an international organization failed to meet Georgia’s expectations in terms of regulation of the conflicts as well as resolution of political and economic issues.
Mr. Nesterenko is apparently mistaken describing the decision on withdrawal from CIS as a hasty one. Georgia has long been preparing for taking this step. A special governmental commission was set up 2 years ago to study thisissue.
Against the background of the Russian Federation waging an undeclared war in Georgia, Georgia considers as absolutely unacceptable its membership in the organization, which was established under the dictates and leadership of Russia.

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Tbilisi, 13 August 2008

Starting from 8 August 2008 to date, the Russian Federation has been engaged in carrying out the occupation of the Georgian territory. In this process the Russian side makes an active use of illegal bandit gangs and so-called North Caucasian volunteers present in Georgia’s conflict regions.
To our great regret, representatives of Abkhazia’s separatist authorities took advantage of the escalated situation in the Tskhinvali region and, in violation of all agreements and treaties signed up to this day and with the assistance of Russian ‘peacekeepers’, made an attack on Upper Abkhazia and invaded its entire territory. Just like in the 1990s, separatists, with the support of Russian troops, conducted a mass cleansing of the local population of ethnic Georgians.

Developments are following an analogous scenario in the Tskhinvali region as well, where ethnic Georgians are slaughtered daily with utter brutality.

Timeline by 12th of August 14:50

12 August

14:50 Village Sakoritno in Kaspi region and village Ruisi in Kareli region are bombed by Russian aviation

14:00 In village Agara (Khashuri region) Russian military jets bombarded an ambulance vehicle

13:25 Three Russian airplanes dropped bombs on the village of Orchosani near Gori.

12:30 Vasiani base nearby Tbilisi has been bombed by Russian planes.

12:25 Oil pipeline 5 km from the city of Rustavi has been bombed.

10:15 Russian planes bombed Gori. The territory around administration building and city market have been bombed.

In the morning ours of 12 August Russian airplanes bombed the village of Tkviavi near Tskhinvali once again.

03:25 Russian envoy to the UN Churkin announced on the press conference that Russia will not support the resolution. Georgian envoy Alasania announced that suggested resolution is acceptable to Georgia.

02:15 Emergency meeting of the Security Council of the UN started. The resolution about cease-fire prepared by France was discussed.

02:05 Russian aviation bombarded Kaspi 30 Km from Tbilisi out of conflict zone. 3 bombs were dropped near the Heidelberg Cement factory (one from the two cement factories in the country). No damage was reported.

Government of Georgia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, August 12 - 21:50 Tbilisi, Georgia

Russian Forces Block Humanitarian Corridor To Tskhinvali, Deny Entry to Medical Personnel

Georgian medical staff trying to enter Tshkinvali via the humanitarian corridor established after Georgian forces announced their ceasefire and withdrawal from South Ossetia have been denied entry by Russian forces that control the city.

Emergency staff are urgently trying to gain access to the city to provide vital medical support to injured Georgian and South Ossetian civilians. The city has been virtually destroyed by the Russian invasion. There are currently no medical supplies remaining there.

The humanitarian corridor was established by Georgian forces specifically to enable the safe passage of refugees out of the conflict zone, and allow access to the city and its surrounding area for emergency medical personnel.

For further information, please contact:

Nato Chikovani, Press Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia: +995.77.507.726

As it is known, the Georgian electronic space is under permanent DDoS attack. The web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is blocked. Relevantly, statements and press-releases of the Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are available at the following address: http://georgiamfa.blogspot.com., as well as at the website of the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński: http://www.president.pl, in a special call-out, titled "Information about the latest developments in Georgia".

According to the reliable information held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Russian servicemen and separatists carry out mass arrests of peaceful civilians of Georgian origin still remaining on the territory of the Tskhinvali region and subsequently concentrate them on the territory of the village of Kurta.

Georgia appeals to the International Red Cross and other humanitarian and international organizations and the international community as a whole to immediately take decisive and effective measures for the evacuation of this population from the conflict zone.

Tbilisi, 11 August 2008

Timeline by 11th of August 07.15

August 10 - 11, 2008

• 07:15 Senaki airport is bombed by Russian airplanes.
• 06:10 Gori tank battalion is bombed. A civilian apartment building nearby has been hit.
• 05:00 Shiraki airfield in Dedoplistskaro District on the east of the country is bombed by Russian jets.
• 04:37 Civilian radar station in the village of Leninisi in 5 kilometers from downtown Tbilisi.
• 03:05 Villages of Sharabidzeebi, Kapandichi, Makho near Batumi are bombed by Russian planes. Graveyard and villagers’ backyard have been hit. No casualties reported.
• 00:30 Civilian radar station in the village of Shavshvebi west of Gori is bombed by Russian planes.
• 00:00 Five wounded policemen transported to Zugdidi hospital from Upper Abkhazia.
• 20:00 Positional fighting near village of Qvabchara in Upper Abkhazia.
• 19:10 “Tbilaviamsheni” aviation factory was bombarded by Russian aviation again.
• 19:05 Russian aviation dropped bomb on Tbilisi International Airport.
• 18:00 The Black Sea town of Anaklia 280 km from Tbilisi, is bombed by Russian airplanes. No casualties reported
  

Information for press

On 10 August 2008 Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Georgia A.Smaga was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Georgian side passed to the Russian Envoy a Note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

The Note indicates that by Order of the President of Georgia issued on 10 August 2008, at 5:00 am, Georgian armed forces ceased fire in the Tskhinvali region.

All Georgian troops have been withdrawn from the conflict zone. The Georgian side opened a humanitarian corridor to the south of Tskhinvali to allow peaceful population and wounded people to leave the conflict zone. Georgia expresses its readiness to immediately start negotiations with the Russian Federation on cease-fire and termination of hostilities.

10 August 2008

17:30

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia
PRESS RELEASE
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http://www.am.gov.lv

Declaration of Presidents of Parliaments of the Baltic States [2008-08-10 19:54:46]

With deep concern and anxiety, we are observing the events in Georgia which at this moment is under intensive attacks by the army of the Russian Federation.
We are calling on the international community to decisively condemn actions of Russia and to promptly take all necessary steps to stop the war and bring the parties to the negotiation table.
Justification of Russia's actions in Georgia by the need to protect its citizens is unacceptable. Alleged reasons for taking up a war against Georgia raise concerns about the future in every state with Russian citizens living on its territory.

We are concerned and disappointed with the actions and behaviour of Russia, as an important actor in the politics of the region and the whole world, which will inevitably have effect on further bilateral and multilateral relations with this country. Russia's military aggression against another sovereign state and actions contradicting the statements of its leaders raise serious doubts about the reliability and consistency of Russia as a partner.

Furthermore, we are convinced that the response of the international community to Russia's aggression against Georgia is at the same time a test for Euro-Atlantic security institutions of their reliability and solidarity. Therefore we are calling on our governments to discuss, in cooperation with NATO and EU partners, measures to prevent similar actions in future. NATO and the EU must assume responsibility for the security and stability of their partners to demonstrate Russia's leadership it cannot do whatever it wants with its neighbours that share the values and principles of the Euro-Atlantic community.

Russia's aggression against Georgia must be stopped, with the help of coordinated actions of the international community, immediately before all Georgian infrastructure and economy is destroyed which would bring about humanitarian catastrophe with long-term consequences in the entire region.

Ene Ergma, President of the Riigikogu of Estonia
Gundars Daudze, President of the Saeima of Latvia
Ceslovas Jursenas, President of the Seimas of Lithuania

On 9 August 2008, a military aircraft of the Russian Federation bombarded Tbilisi- Baku- Ceyhan international oil pipeline passing through the territory of Georgia.

This act of aggression reveals once again the real character of the” peace operations” carried out by the Russian Federation in Georgia and the genuine underlying reasons of their aggressive actions.

It is obvious that this act of aggression by the Russian Federation is aimed not only against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, but threatens energy security of the whole international community.

Tbilisi, 9 August 2008