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"RUSSIA STARTED ACTIVE FLIRTING WITH GEORGIA": YURI DZITSOITY INTERVIEW
Regnum, Russia
July 3 2006
REGNUM introduces interview with South Ossetian vice Speaker, head of
the Committee on Foreign Policy, Defense, and Security Yuri Dzitsoity.
REGNUM: Mr. Dzitsoity, Georgia has repeatedly claimed that the
Georgian-Ossetian conflict can be solved not between Georgian and
South Ossetia but between Tbilisi and Moscow. How would you today
describe both countries' positions on the issue? Could any changes
in the process of South Ossetian issue settlement be expected,
taking into account results of the Putin-Saakashvili meeting in
St. Petersburg?
First of all, I would like to say that the very fact of the meeting
is interesting. Reportedly, Putin and Saakashvili had not intended
to meet, and the initiative of holding a session of the Russian and
Georgian presidents belonged to the U.S. I believe that Russia had
been pressed upon in this regard. In fact, they are trying to solve our
issue through Moscow and Washington, i.e., behind our back. It is hard
to say how far Russia allowed Georgia to advance in solving its task,
since we do not know what Putin and Saakashvili talked about vis-a-vis.
However, judging by statements made by Kamynin and Kosachev, people
who have enough power to know what is going on in Kremlin lobbies,
one could tell that Russia today started to actively flirt with
Georgia. Kosachev, for example, said that Russia is not going to
and never was going to consider appeals of South Ossetia and Georgia
on recognizing their independence and entering Russia. On the other
hand, the same Kosachev says that Russia has always been standing on
the territorial integrity of Georgia, she simply does not accept the
means suggested by Georgia, i.e., when she suggests a forced, not a
negotiation solution... Whereas the goal is defined, the rest is of no
importance. This is why I think that today Russia is actively flirting
with Georgia, counting on Georgia's proposed change of attitude towards
Russia, counting on Georgia's loyalty, which envisions, first of all,
Georgia's giving up accessing NATO structures.
REGNUM: On July 5, the South Ossetian and Abkhaz issues will be
among the subjects discussed at a Washington meeting of Bush and
Saakashvili. What could be expected from the meeting?
We should not forget that the meeting will be held on the verge
of the G8 summit, that is why they will again attempt to exercise
pressure on Moscow. The Bush-Saakashvili meeting is another step in
this direction. The task has been defined already: settling separatist
conflicts in the framework of united Georgia. That is, the final goal
has been already defined, and nothing meaningful remains to discuss.
REGNUM: Do you suppose that an unfavorable situation is being
formed for the unrecognized states? After all, they have the Kosovo
precedent handy as a trump, not to mention the right of nations for
self-determination...
The thing is that the Kosovo precedent has not been created yet.
President Kastunica declared a few days ago that Kosovo will be part of
Serbia. I think that the West is scared with the Kosovo precedent and
is very likely to stop advancing in the direction. It can be projected
that the western countries and, first of all, the U.S., will attempt to
first "settle" conflicts in the post-Soviet space, roughly speaking,
to push South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Georgia, Transdnestr into
Moldavia, to take care of Nagorno Karabakh, and then come back to
solving the Kosovo issue, when nobody already needs the precedent.
REGNUM: And Russia?
By accepting Georgia's ultimate goal, Russia loses. Georgia indulges
in doing whatever she chooses.
REGNUM: Could this be Kremlin's diplomatic move?
It could be a diplomatic move, but Georgia is very successfully
using statements of Russian politicians on united Georgia. Of
course, Russia simultaneously speaks of the right of nations for
self-determination. But there is a room for arguing here that a nation
can determine herself within a unified state.
REGNUM: Could it be true that Georgia's access to NATO is such a
big problem for Russia that it uses all the diplomatic game means,
up to the denial of South Ossetia and Abkhazia?
NATO at Russia's south boundaries is the main problem, a key issue.
If Georgia becomes part of Russia, all the doctrine changes: defense,
external; the power layout in the North Caucasus changes. Here we
will be able of definitely speaking of not only Chechen separatism,
but also of separatist tendencies in the North Caucasus in general.
REGNUM: But is not seeing Georgia part of NATO projected for the
not-so-foreseeable future?
We thought exactly so when Georgia was accessing the European Union.
Don't you see that more developed countries like Turkey are being
given conditions, including political ones? For example, Turkey has
the issue of North Cyprus and the Kurdish issue. As for Georgia, it
was admitted so hastily that one could only wonder. One could say for
sure that Georgia was given a very different role by the West. And the
role is no less important than that of Ukraine. Georgia and Ukraine
are the two regions that the U.S. got a stranglehold on.
Regnum, Russia
July 3 2006
REGNUM introduces interview with South Ossetian vice Speaker, head of
the Committee on Foreign Policy, Defense, and Security Yuri Dzitsoity.
REGNUM: Mr. Dzitsoity, Georgia has repeatedly claimed that the
Georgian-Ossetian conflict can be solved not between Georgian and
South Ossetia but between Tbilisi and Moscow. How would you today
describe both countries' positions on the issue? Could any changes
in the process of South Ossetian issue settlement be expected,
taking into account results of the Putin-Saakashvili meeting in
St. Petersburg?
First of all, I would like to say that the very fact of the meeting
is interesting. Reportedly, Putin and Saakashvili had not intended
to meet, and the initiative of holding a session of the Russian and
Georgian presidents belonged to the U.S. I believe that Russia had
been pressed upon in this regard. In fact, they are trying to solve our
issue through Moscow and Washington, i.e., behind our back. It is hard
to say how far Russia allowed Georgia to advance in solving its task,
since we do not know what Putin and Saakashvili talked about vis-a-vis.
However, judging by statements made by Kamynin and Kosachev, people
who have enough power to know what is going on in Kremlin lobbies,
one could tell that Russia today started to actively flirt with
Georgia. Kosachev, for example, said that Russia is not going to
and never was going to consider appeals of South Ossetia and Georgia
on recognizing their independence and entering Russia. On the other
hand, the same Kosachev says that Russia has always been standing on
the territorial integrity of Georgia, she simply does not accept the
means suggested by Georgia, i.e., when she suggests a forced, not a
negotiation solution... Whereas the goal is defined, the rest is of no
importance. This is why I think that today Russia is actively flirting
with Georgia, counting on Georgia's proposed change of attitude towards
Russia, counting on Georgia's loyalty, which envisions, first of all,
Georgia's giving up accessing NATO structures.
REGNUM: On July 5, the South Ossetian and Abkhaz issues will be
among the subjects discussed at a Washington meeting of Bush and
Saakashvili. What could be expected from the meeting?
We should not forget that the meeting will be held on the verge
of the G8 summit, that is why they will again attempt to exercise
pressure on Moscow. The Bush-Saakashvili meeting is another step in
this direction. The task has been defined already: settling separatist
conflicts in the framework of united Georgia. That is, the final goal
has been already defined, and nothing meaningful remains to discuss.
REGNUM: Do you suppose that an unfavorable situation is being
formed for the unrecognized states? After all, they have the Kosovo
precedent handy as a trump, not to mention the right of nations for
self-determination...
The thing is that the Kosovo precedent has not been created yet.
President Kastunica declared a few days ago that Kosovo will be part of
Serbia. I think that the West is scared with the Kosovo precedent and
is very likely to stop advancing in the direction. It can be projected
that the western countries and, first of all, the U.S., will attempt to
first "settle" conflicts in the post-Soviet space, roughly speaking,
to push South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Georgia, Transdnestr into
Moldavia, to take care of Nagorno Karabakh, and then come back to
solving the Kosovo issue, when nobody already needs the precedent.
REGNUM: And Russia?
By accepting Georgia's ultimate goal, Russia loses. Georgia indulges
in doing whatever she chooses.
REGNUM: Could this be Kremlin's diplomatic move?
It could be a diplomatic move, but Georgia is very successfully
using statements of Russian politicians on united Georgia. Of
course, Russia simultaneously speaks of the right of nations for
self-determination. But there is a room for arguing here that a nation
can determine herself within a unified state.
REGNUM: Could it be true that Georgia's access to NATO is such a
big problem for Russia that it uses all the diplomatic game means,
up to the denial of South Ossetia and Abkhazia?
NATO at Russia's south boundaries is the main problem, a key issue.
If Georgia becomes part of Russia, all the doctrine changes: defense,
external; the power layout in the North Caucasus changes. Here we
will be able of definitely speaking of not only Chechen separatism,
but also of separatist tendencies in the North Caucasus in general.
REGNUM: But is not seeing Georgia part of NATO projected for the
not-so-foreseeable future?
We thought exactly so when Georgia was accessing the European Union.
Don't you see that more developed countries like Turkey are being
given conditions, including political ones? For example, Turkey has
the issue of North Cyprus and the Kurdish issue. As for Georgia, it
was admitted so hastily that one could only wonder. One could say for
sure that Georgia was given a very different role by the West. And the
role is no less important than that of Ukraine. Georgia and Ukraine
are the two regions that the U.S. got a stranglehold on.