Statement by the Ambassador of Georgia to the USA, Canada and Mexico

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.

As a specific excuse to pour its troops into Georgia, Russia used fabricated lie about casualties in South Ossetia cased by Georgian attempt to restore peace and calm there. While Russia’s top officials lied about thousands of deaths, Human Rights Watch could not confirm anything closer to those assertions.

By now, judging from the use of force, its strength and aggressiveness of military assault, it became crystal clear that Russia intends to depose democratically elected Government of Georgia and change state regime into fiefdom of its handpicked ruler.

Forces of the Government of Georgia have withdrawn from the conflict regions and towns where Russian troops are stationed.

As we speak, Georgian forces prepare for defense of the capital Tbilisi with population over a million.

President Saakashvili has repeated his offer to the Russian Federation to cease all fire and negotiate. Georgia is grateful for the active engagement of French President Sarkozy dispatching Foreign Minister Kuchner with their peace plan. This plan has been signed by President Saakashvili.

Georgia has not received any response on its peace proposals from Russia. We have urged unilateral ceasefire, however we have received no response.

We expect the worst – an attack on the capital, which, inevitably, will cause more civilian deaths and destruction. Humanitarian catastrophe, the signs of which are already visible throughout the country, will deepen substantially.

We plea for assistance, all sorts of assistance: diplomatic, military and humanitarian, to face Russia’s aggression.

Georgia is grateful for the courageous support of friends around the globe. The Finnish Foreign Minister, who traveled to Tbilisi together with Minister Kuchner, remains to show support. Tomorrow, we expect 4 presidents: of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to arrive to Tbilisi. These countries of the European Union have first hand recent experience of Russian military aggression.