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Moscow News (Russia)
August 4, 2004
"WE DON'T NEED WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO US, BUT WE WON'T GIVE UP WHAT
IS OURS BY RIGHT" - EDUARD KOKOITY
By Madina Shavlokhova The Moscow News
In an interview with The Moscow News, Eduard Kokoity, president of
the unrecognized republic, comments on what is going on in South
Ossetia and on the republic's extremely tense relationship with
Georgia
Last week, the leader of South Ossetia brought to Moscow draft laws
on the status of South Ossetia and its prospective accession to the
Russian Federation. Georgia voices a protest What needs to be done
for Tskhinvali and Tbilisi to end their confrontation?
To bring the situation back to normal, we urge the Georgian
leadership to closely study the history of the conflict and the
documents that were signed in Dagomys in 1992 as well as in the
subsequent years in Moscow, and try to understand what actually
brought about the conflict between the two brotherly peoples. The
trouble, however, is that the Georgian leadership is not interested
in going into the heart of the problem. Moreover, in the course of
negotiations, we often hear Georgian leaders say that they did not
sign particular agreements and are not going to honor them. What does
this show? This shows that there is no one to negotiate with there.
Recently you said that you were ready to provide humanitarian aid to
one affected area in western Georgia. At the same time the Ossetian
population turned down a similar offer from the Georgian authorities.
We are providing humanitarian aid to those parts of Georgia that have
recently been affected by heavy rains. The fact is that we are not in
conflict with ordinary Georgians but with those who are trying to
take away what is ours by law. We don't need what does not belong to
us, but we will not cede what is ours by right. It is they who are
amassing troops around us and not the other way round. All of this is
being done to divert public attention away from the economic tragedy
that Georgia has ended up with.
How do you assess the performance of the Joint Control Commission on
Settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian Conflict?
I highly value the work of the JCC, as well as the Russian
peacekeepers. Russia demonstrates its readiness to deploy maximum
effort to stabilize the situation, which is more than can be said
about the Georgian side. Even at the latest meeting, they talked to
us in the language of threats and ultimatums. Their objective is to
provoke a large-scale war and to discredit the peacekeepers. Today it
is above all the Tbilisi officials, who violate the JCC agreements.
Just as 13 years ago, they are behaving as aggressors and
separatists.
Could you please expand on this?
Georgia was the first to break away from the Soviet Union like a
separatist, violating the USSR Constitution that stated in black and
white that the opinion of those regions that conducted a referendum
on the issue must be taken into account in forming a separate state.
That is to say, already at that time we automatically became
independent. So who is the separatist then? Furthermore, it should
not be forgotten that as soon as they proclaimed their independence
they abandoned all Soviet laws and decrees while, as is known it was
in accordance with those laws and decrees that South Ossetia acceded
to Georgia. In principle, we did the same as Georgia did in the
Soviet era: We seceded from it - true, in full compliance with the
law.
Which side does the West take in the conflict?
When politicians from democratic countries come to visit here, I get
the impression that they put on blinders. They do not see the rampant
violations of human and minority rights that are occurring in
Georgia. Also, they fail to see one very important thing. In the past
14 years Georgia has replaced the third president. None of them
served out their term in office. All of them had to leave as a result
of revolutions or coups. By contrast, over the past 15 years we have
held presidential and parliamentary elections in full compliance with
the rules of international law. Yet for some reason we are being
pushed into a sphere of lawlessness and anarchy. They keep talking
about somebody's territorial integrity. But the fact is that South
Ossetia joined Georgia in 1921 - during the Soviet era. We gained
independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union and a
nationwide referendum. The Georgian Constitution does not make any
reference to us, so why are we being invited there? In this logic, we
could just as easily be invited to join Armenia or Azerbaijan: After
all, they were also part of the Soviet Union. What we see here is
that our opponents are either completely ignorant of international
and Soviet law or reluctant to study it. MN
August 4, 2004
"WE DON'T NEED WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO US, BUT WE WON'T GIVE UP WHAT
IS OURS BY RIGHT" - EDUARD KOKOITY
By Madina Shavlokhova The Moscow News
In an interview with The Moscow News, Eduard Kokoity, president of
the unrecognized republic, comments on what is going on in South
Ossetia and on the republic's extremely tense relationship with
Georgia
Last week, the leader of South Ossetia brought to Moscow draft laws
on the status of South Ossetia and its prospective accession to the
Russian Federation. Georgia voices a protest What needs to be done
for Tskhinvali and Tbilisi to end their confrontation?
To bring the situation back to normal, we urge the Georgian
leadership to closely study the history of the conflict and the
documents that were signed in Dagomys in 1992 as well as in the
subsequent years in Moscow, and try to understand what actually
brought about the conflict between the two brotherly peoples. The
trouble, however, is that the Georgian leadership is not interested
in going into the heart of the problem. Moreover, in the course of
negotiations, we often hear Georgian leaders say that they did not
sign particular agreements and are not going to honor them. What does
this show? This shows that there is no one to negotiate with there.
Recently you said that you were ready to provide humanitarian aid to
one affected area in western Georgia. At the same time the Ossetian
population turned down a similar offer from the Georgian authorities.
We are providing humanitarian aid to those parts of Georgia that have
recently been affected by heavy rains. The fact is that we are not in
conflict with ordinary Georgians but with those who are trying to
take away what is ours by law. We don't need what does not belong to
us, but we will not cede what is ours by right. It is they who are
amassing troops around us and not the other way round. All of this is
being done to divert public attention away from the economic tragedy
that Georgia has ended up with.
How do you assess the performance of the Joint Control Commission on
Settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian Conflict?
I highly value the work of the JCC, as well as the Russian
peacekeepers. Russia demonstrates its readiness to deploy maximum
effort to stabilize the situation, which is more than can be said
about the Georgian side. Even at the latest meeting, they talked to
us in the language of threats and ultimatums. Their objective is to
provoke a large-scale war and to discredit the peacekeepers. Today it
is above all the Tbilisi officials, who violate the JCC agreements.
Just as 13 years ago, they are behaving as aggressors and
separatists.
Could you please expand on this?
Georgia was the first to break away from the Soviet Union like a
separatist, violating the USSR Constitution that stated in black and
white that the opinion of those regions that conducted a referendum
on the issue must be taken into account in forming a separate state.
That is to say, already at that time we automatically became
independent. So who is the separatist then? Furthermore, it should
not be forgotten that as soon as they proclaimed their independence
they abandoned all Soviet laws and decrees while, as is known it was
in accordance with those laws and decrees that South Ossetia acceded
to Georgia. In principle, we did the same as Georgia did in the
Soviet era: We seceded from it - true, in full compliance with the
law.
Which side does the West take in the conflict?
When politicians from democratic countries come to visit here, I get
the impression that they put on blinders. They do not see the rampant
violations of human and minority rights that are occurring in
Georgia. Also, they fail to see one very important thing. In the past
14 years Georgia has replaced the third president. None of them
served out their term in office. All of them had to leave as a result
of revolutions or coups. By contrast, over the past 15 years we have
held presidential and parliamentary elections in full compliance with
the rules of international law. Yet for some reason we are being
pushed into a sphere of lawlessness and anarchy. They keep talking
about somebody's territorial integrity. But the fact is that South
Ossetia joined Georgia in 1921 - during the Soviet era. We gained
independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union and a
nationwide referendum. The Georgian Constitution does not make any
reference to us, so why are we being invited there? In this logic, we
could just as easily be invited to join Armenia or Azerbaijan: After
all, they were also part of the Soviet Union. What we see here is
that our opponents are either completely ignorant of international
and Soviet law or reluctant to study it. MN