After Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its unconvincing concern about the growing crisis around Georgia’s breakaway internal autonomy of South Ossetia, and after Russian generals have made their unintelligible statements, it now looks like Moscow started acting more aggressively. It can be seen from the provocative statement made by the ruling regime in Tiraspol (capital of Transdniestria (Pridnestrovye), pro-Russian breakaway region in Moldova).
Transdniestria will provide assistance to South Ossetia, including military assistance if Georgia resorts to a power action», Transdniestrian leader Igor Smirnov stated.
We (Transdniestria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia) have a treaty signed about mutual assistance in tough times. In case of an aggression threat we will not be standing aside, we will provide exhaustive assistance to our brothers, including military assistance», he reminded the journalists on Wednesday.
Igor Smirnov also stated that he views Georgia’s actions as being no other than preparation for a military aggression.
What has been going on in South Ossetia lately are unfriendly steps that the Georgian leadership has taken towards friendly people of South Ossetia, and we must prevent the aggression», Smirnov stressed threateningly.
He also mentioned that he always keeps in touch with the leadership of South Ossetia and Abkhazia due to the aggravated situation around South Ossetia.
Apparently, all of these demonstratively belligerent statements by Transdniestria could not be made without consent from Moscow, which is actively patronizing that region. In this connection Smirnov’s threat can be fully regarded as Moscow’s underlying threat to Georgia.
Nevertheless, Georgian authorities, which in turn are relying on the US support, are continuing the tactics of 'testing in action'. Georgian troops are enjoying mighty informational support (like scandalous sudden visit of Georgian president’s wife to South Ossetia) and are fortifying their positions in that region step by step.
While relying on Washington, Georgia is acting with maximum vigor. Propagandistic cover is at the highest level. South Ossetia and Moscow are the ones being targeted, and they are getting convinced more and more that the autonomy’s return under Georgian control is as inevitable and natural as Georgia’s legitimate tendency to restore its jurisdiction over its territories.
At the same time public opinion inside Russia is getting disoriented by constant claim by Georgian government comparing Georgian president Saakashvili to Putin and claiming friendly intentions towards Moscow.
The shadow of the US is clearly seen behind this military and political action. Most likely, the US is implementing some sped-up strategy of establishing control over the Southern Caucasus.
This fact became even more manifest after US Secretary of State Colin Powell stated during his meeting with Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili that Russian military bases must be removed from Georgia as soon as possible, because their stay in that area no longer makes any real military sense.
At the same time US State Secretary mentioned that he will keep in close touch with the Russian leadership concerning the relations with Georgia.
Leaders of South Ossetia pointed at the US as well. They told Russian journalists that the US is the one in charge of the Georgian troops.
According to our information, over three thousand servicemen of various Georgian power structures, including special forces, as well as over ten armored vehicles were deployed near 14 checkpoints at the Ossetian-Georgian border since Tuesday», unnamed source inside South Ossetian power structures told Moscow-based Interfax news agency on Wednesday.
The source said that «American instructors, who are training Georgian special forces, were spotted» among these units.
President of South Ossetia Kokoity in turn did not rule out that the power action against South Ossetia was planned with the participation of US instructors.
I cannot rule out the participation of American instructors in the development of the power action against South Ossetia», Kokoity said.
MOSCOW, June 10 (Itar-Tass) - The leader of Georgia’s breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoita, said on Thursday that he would request the Russian leadership to admit his republic to Russia.
“The aim of my visit to Moscow is to appeal to the Federal Assembly and the Russian president that South Ossetia be recognized as Russian republic,” he told reporters in Moscow.
“We have political, legal and historical grounds for entry into Russia,” he stressed.
According to him, “that step is prompted by the fact that the Georgian leadership fails to meet its commitments to Tskhinvali.”
North and South Ossetia were annexed by Russia between 1801 and 1806, along with Georgia proper, and absorbed into the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution, South Ossetia became a part of the Georgian Menshevik Republic, while the north became a part of the Terek Soviet Republic. In April 1922, following fierce fighting between White Russian and Soviet forces the "South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast" (i.e. district) was formed. Although South Ossetia had its own language (Ossetian), Russian was – and still is – the only administrative language. Formally under the rule of Georgia's government, it enjoyed some degree of autonomy.
The Georgian war In 1989, concerned by rising nationalism in Georgia, the ruling South Ossetian Popular Front (Ademon Nykhas) demanded unification with North Ossetia. On 10 November 1989, the South Ossetian Supreme Soviet approved a decision to unite South Ossetia with the North Ossetian ASSR, part of Russia. A day later, the Georgian parliament revoked the decision and abolished South Ossetian autonomy. Additionally, the parliament authorized the suppression of newspapers and demonstrations.
Following Georgia's independence in 1991 under the nationalist leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the Georgian government declared Georgian to be the national language throughout the country. This caused great concern in South Ossetia, whose leaders demanded that Ossetian become the language of their state. The Ossetian minority continued to seek greater levels of autonomy, but were faced with increasing nationalist sentiment among the Georgian majority. Violent conflict broke out towards the end of 1991 during which many South Ossetian villages were attacked and burned down. As a result, more than 100,000 refugees fled the region, most across the border into North Ossetia or into Georgia proper. Many South Ossetians were resettled in uninhabited areas of North Ossetia from which the Ingush had been expelled by Stalin in 1944, leading to conflicts between Ossetians and Ingush over the right of residence in former Ingush territory. Only 15% of the Ossetian population now lives in South Ossetia.
In 1992, a ceasefire was negotiated at the initiative of Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The governments of Georgia and South Ossetia reached an agreement to avoid the use of force against one another, and Georgia pledged not to impose sanctions against South Ossetia. A peacekeeping force of Ossetians, Russians and Georgians was established. Since then, South Ossetia has been generally peaceful.
The political dispute has, however, yet to be resolved and the South Ossetian authorities still govern the region with effective independence from Tblisi. Although talks have been held periodically between the two sides, little progress was made under the government of Eduard Shevardnadze (1993-2003). His replacement Mikhail Saakashvili (elected 2004) has made reassertion of Georgian government authority a political priority. Having successfully put an end to the de facto independent government of the southwestern province of Ajaria in May 2004, he has pledged to seek a similar solution in South Ossetia.
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