Georgian foreign ministry: “Russia is instigating separatists deliberately”

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“According to the information by the Georgian foreign ministry, leaders of separatist territories, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, are invited to participate in opening ceremony of the Fifth International Economic Forum Kuban 2006,” an official statement by the Georgian foreign ministry says. It also notes that “participation of the separatist leaders in the forum is even more worrying and scandalous as initiators of the event are Russia’s official agencies: the foreign ministry, the economic development ministry, as well as Trade and Industry Chamber.”

“Repeated statements and appeals by the Georgian party to avoid actions aimed at inciting separatism trigger an opposite reaction,” the ministry says. “Relations with the regimes in the conflict zones that in their time caused a stir by massive cleansing of Georgian population have intensified even more at various levels. Unfortunately, Russia’s government instead of prohibiting ties of Russian regions with Abkhaz and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia has summits with leadership of the separatist regimes. Thus, we are witness to deliberate instigation of separatists’ destructive activity.”

“We did not have to wait long for a result: the impudent separatists have switched to an offensive and carried out an armed attack on Zugdidi District, which is, by the way, in the zone controlled by Russian peacekeepers in the security zone. Starting from what have been said above, the foreign ministry says that actions of the Russian side are interference into Georgia’s domestic affairs and another example of the creeping annexation. Such demonstrative support of the separatists by the Russian side still demonstrates that in the conflict settlement process in the Georgian territory Russia is not and cannot be a neutral and unbiased mediator. It once again shows necessity of immediate change of the current negotiation and peacekeeping mission format.”

“The Georgian foreign ministry is sure that the international community will adequately assess actions of the Russian side and calls upon it to abstain from such inadmissible actions that are only deteriorating even more the current tense situation.”