APPEAL OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Despite the systematic efforts of the Georgian authorities, by means of the dialogue and the negotiations to create conditions for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the former Autonomous District of South Ossetia, the Tskhinvali separatist regime and illegal armed formations, subordinated to it, were purposefully trying to escalate and to charge the situation. Their recently committed actions shall be definitely assessed as the armed aggression against the Georgian state and first of all, against the population, residing on the territory of the former Autonomous District of South Ossetia. The illegal armed formations opened fire to the peaceful population and in spite of the fact that for the sake of maintenance of peace, the Georgian authorities were refraining to open the response fire; they continued terror of peaceful population and mass bombings.

Based on the above-mentioned, the Georgian authorities have been forced to take all the measures for protection of the peaceful population in the region, cleaning of territory from illegal formations and creation of necessary conditions for the peace, stability and development.

The situation is complicated by the circumstance that de-facto "Government” of the South Ossetia is actually composed by the officials, sent from Russia, who up to date are the active employees of the Russian power bodies, they do not represent the interests of the Ossetian population of the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia and they had never lived in the region before the assignment to their positions. The Georgian authorities has several times appealed to the Russian authorities to take back these people from the region that would have become a serious precondition for the normalization of the situation.

Unfortunately, instead of bringing peace to the conflict zone, Russia realizes mobilization of illegal armed formations (so called "volunteers”), giving out to them armaments and heavy military equipment and their transfer to the conflict region through Rocki Tunnel.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia also participates in the aggression against Georgia – On the 8-th of August the Russian military aviation has several times violated the air space of Georgia and has attacked settlements in Kareli, Gori, Marneuli, Tskhinvali districts, and suburbs of Tbilisi. At the same time, as targets for air bombing have been selected the places, especially intensive gatherings of peaceful population –namely, the market of the city of Gori and the stadium.

It is unacceptable and cynical from the side of Russian authorities to justify the military aggression on the pretext of protection of the citizens of the Russia in Georgia. The history of Europe very well remembers the results of such policy, when in the 30s of the last century the military occupation of sovereign Czechoslovakia by the Nazi regime happened with the motivation of protection of the ethnic group’s interest, residing in one of the regions of this country.

In such conditions, the Parliament of Georgia considers that the country is in the circumstances of undeclared war from the side of the Russian federation and it is entitled, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the UN, to take all the measures to secure the sovereignty and protection of the security of peaceful population.

At the same time, the Parliament of Georgia reiterates the firm will of the Georgian authorities to settle all the problems by means of the dialogue and to build a unified, democratic state, where the rights and freedoms of all the persons, despite their ethnic origin, will be safeguarded.

The Parliament of Georgia calls on the Parliaments of the partner countries, to the International Community and to the World democratic community and appeals to take all the efforts so as to stop the broad scale military aggression of Russia against Georgia, to discharge the situation in the Tskhinvali region and to start the peaceful settlement process of the conflict with the participation of international, unbiased mediators.
Posted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia at 8:55 PM