regarding N. Kalandadze statement about the ‘territorial integrity of Georgia’

On January 26, 2012, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia Nino Kalandadze in her interview to TV broadcaster ‘Rustavy’ announced that ‘no authority of Georgia, no matter who is in power of the country, will concede independence and territorial integrity of the country’.

It is a right position for any country though authorities of Georgia pretend to the territory of the independent state of the Republic of South Ossetia groundlessly. Georgia has never had a legal right on the territory of South Ossetia which was included as a component of Georgian SSR in 1922 under protest of the Ossete people. In the period of the XX century Georgia twice committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in respect of the Ossete - in 1920 and 1989-1992. The leaders of the Georgian SSR had been pursuing a policy of discrimination, cultural genocide, forced assimilation, suppression of rights and freedom of the Ossete for whole period of the existence of South Ossetia as a part of Georgia. By the time of recognition of Georgia by international society as an independent country, South Ossetia had been its part neither politically nor juridical and had been external to its ‘territorial integrity’.

Recognition or non- recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia by Georgia does not abolish the fact of existence of the country, which has appeared as a result of implementation of the nation`s right to self-determination, and the Republic of South Ossetia will exist regardless of Georgia`s attitude towards it. As for the statements of the Georgian politicians they are no more than traditional attacks of Georgia against South Ossetia and Russia, which supposedly has ‘occupied’ it.

Today more and more Georgian politicians understand the hopelessness of the idea of South Ossetia restitution as a part of Georgia, but they continue to insist on it inertially. Some of their statements show that recognition of South Ossetia independence by the Russian Federation has made this process irreversible.

And while there is no agreement between South Ossetia and Georgia on nonrenewal of hostilities supported by international guarantees the people of South Ossetia do not see the alternative to Russian military presence in the region. Today the legal foundations for the presence of Russian armed forces on the territory of South Ossetia are bilateral South-Ossetia –Russia agreements completely satisfying to hands-on international treaty experience guarantying stability in the region.

Tskhinval, January 31, 2012