Russian Ambassador: The demand to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and It is unacceptable for Ossetia

The Russian Ambassador to South Ossetia, Marat Kulakhmetov, in an interview on the day of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia, said that Georgia's demand that Russia withdraw recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is obviously unacceptable.

— September 9 is the next anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia. What were the prerequisites for this important event?

— September 9, 2008 Russia and South Ossetia exchanged notes on the establishment of diplomatic relations. This step was a logical continuation of Russia's recognition of South Ossetia on August 26, 2008 as a sovereign and independent state. On September 17 of the same year, an Agreement on friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia, which consolidated the key areas of bilateral relations. Later, on March 18, 2015, an Alliance and Integration Agreement was signed. These documents have brought our relations to a qualitatively new, interstate level.

These important stages in the development of relations between our states bring us back to the tragic events of 16 years ago, when on the night of August 7-8, 2008, the Georgia has launched the so-called "operation to restore constitutional order on the territory of South Ossetia." Tskhinval was subjected to indiscriminate artillery shelling, an attack was made on the camp of Russian peacekeepers. Going deeper into history, it becomes clear that the aggression in August 2008 It became a consequence of Mikhail Saakashvili's policy after he came to power at the end of 2003. We remember well how even on the eve of the elections, as a presidential candidate, he promised to restore the territorial integrity of Georgia, and later began to openly threaten a forceful solution to the "South Ossetian problem." The first attempt at a "blitzkrieg" in South Ossetia followed six months after Saakashvili's election in the summer of 2004. It was only through the efforts of peacekeepers and international mediators, including Russia, that peace and stability were preserved. But even then, Tbilisi decided to resolve the conflict by force.

History, as they say, has no subjunctive mood, but I would not link everything to the political situation and individual political events. We need to look deeper: the logic of natural historical processes led us to the recognition of the Republic and the establishment of diplomatic relations. They are based on the indissoluble historical connection between Russia and South Ossetia, adherence to common values and ideals, culture, traditions and a common perception of events in the world, mutual desire for rapprochement and integration, loyalty to the memory of the Great Victory of 1945. For centuries we have been connected with South Ossetia by friendship and good-neighborliness, myriad cultural, historical and interpersonal ties. Today, in the area of the Special Military Operation, Russian and South Ossetian servicemen and volunteers are risking their lives, shoulder to shoulder defending our common future with weapons in their hands. We are grateful to the caring residents of the Republic for the assistance they provide to civilians and soldiers at the front affected by the actions of the Kiev regime. We highly appreciate the allied support of our position from the leadership of South Ossetia and the entire South Ossetian people.

Speaking about this, I would like to draw the attention of readers to the event "on the anger of the day", which will be held recently in Moscow — the International Anti—Fascist Forum - 2024, timed to the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Fascism. Against the background of the growth of neo-Nazism in the world and manifestations of aggressive imperialism on the part of the United States and NATO, it is important for us to warn the world against a repeat of the tragedy of 1941-1945 and to warn about the real threat of the "brown plague", which has already declared itself "in full growth" in the new century.

— The interaction of the foreign ministries of our countries is being built, including on the basis of the Plan of consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. What is the peculiarity of this document?

— The plan, in fact, is an agreed technical document fixing the schedule and topics of consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries on various issues of interest to both sides. For the Russian Foreign Ministry, this format of work is an established and proven practice. It is a communication channel for regular exchange of opinions and coordination of foreign policy activities, synchronization of positions on the topics of international organizations. The parties identify the most priority topics that require "reconciliation of hours", expert study and discussion to develop or adjust foreign policy positions. In fact, this is a communication channel for heads and experts of specialized departments of foreign policy departments, and not necessarily those who deal with regional issues. If necessary, experts involved in international organizations, certain branches of international law, information policy, economic diplomacy, humanitarian and cultural relations are involved. This work is carried out in parallel with the interaction of the Foreign Ministries with embassies.

The format of consultations is extremely interesting and useful. He makes an important contribution to the development of the country's foreign policy line, interaction through foreign ministers, and joint cooperation mechanisms. At the same time, it is a living mechanism. The topics of consultations vary based on the needs of foreign policy, the interest of the parties in the development of certain areas, new trends and events in international life. Now we are working on the Plan for 2024-2025, signed by the heads of the foreign ministries of Russia and South Ossetia in Sochi October 3, 2023 Among the topics for interaction, for example, issues of foreign policy coordination, information support of foreign policy activities, organization of internships, scientific and practical, cultural and sporting events. The mechanism of consultations exists, by the way, between the Foreign Ministries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. At the end of August, another action plan was written in Sukhum.

In general, I would like to note that we continue to reconcile positions on international issues with our South Ossetian colleagues on a daily basis. Our foreign ministries make an important contribution to the preparation and organization of contacts at the highest and highest levels, and carefully monitor the implementation of concluded bilateral documents. The key direction of our common efforts is to ensure and protect the legitimate rights and freedoms of citizens. We pay special attention to this with our South Ossetian partners, creating conditions for removing all barriers to strengthening ties between our countries. The impact of our joint work on international platforms, including the Geneva discussions, has also increased. This was confirmed by the meeting held in October last year in Sochi meeting of President Alan Gagloev and Foreign Minister Akhsar Dzhioev with Sergey Lavrov.

— Marat Minyurovich, you yourself were a participant in the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia. Today, sometimes you can hear the opinion that this platform has already exhausted its potential. Is it possible to agree with this?

— Our position remains unchanged — the Geneva discussions are an important negotiating platform, one of the key elements ensuring the possibility of maintaining an equal dialogue between the official representatives of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Thanks to them, it is possible to maintain relative security and stability in the region, to respond promptly to emerging points of tension or incidents in the border area.

Doubts about the relevance of discussions arise from those who do not imagine the goals and objectives of the format, do not take into account today's regional realities. And they are such that Georgia, hiding behind the "concern" for the South Ossetian "brothers and sisters", completely ignoring the events of August 2008, is still in captivity of its unjustified illusions, cherishing the hope of returning South Ossetia, an independent and sovereign state, to its membership. Declare that by peaceful means. But at the same time, they are increasing their offensive potential with the support of their NATO, primarily American patrons. Moreover, the pumping of weapons to Georgia is carried out on a scale that is clearly disproportionate to defensive purposes. The number of military exercises conducted on Georgian territory and in the Black Sea with the participation of extra-regional forces is growing, new military centers are being opened. All this is a way to destabilize the situation in the region. The format of Geneva allows Georgians and Westerners to "put all this in sight", to keep them from reckless and thoughtless steps that can inflame the situation.

There is no doubt that since October 2008, discussions have been and remain the main mechanism ensuring predictability and stability in the region. Today it is the only negotiating platform, apart from the format of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, which ensures a direct and equal dialogue between South Ossetia and Georgia and Westerners on regional stability and security issues. Together with our South Ossetian partners, we successfully use it to convey our positions and concerns, and at the same time neutralize the destructive approach of the Georgians and their Western curators to solving the problems on the agenda.

Yes, I agree, the key task of the discussions has not yet been solved — the conclusion of legally binding agreements on the non-use of force between Abkhazia and South Ossetia, on the one hand, and Georgia, on the other. It is also not possible to encourage opponents to launch the delimitation of the Georgian-South Ossetian border with its subsequent demarcation. But the responsibility for this lies with Georgia and its Western curators. As the practice of working in Geneva and in the IPRM format shows, Tbilisi is not yet interested in a constructive settlement of existing problems. From year to year in The politicized Georgian resolution on the situation of internally displaced persons and refugees is being thrown into the UN. With these and other unfriendly steps, the Georgians simply discredit their own statements about openness and real readiness to discuss security and stability issues. But we still hope that common sense will prevail and as a result we will reach concrete agreements in Geneva.

— Recently, there has been a tendency to warm relations between Russia and Georgia. Will this process affect the Russian-South Ossetian agenda?

— Russia is committed to dialogue and the development of good-neighborly relations with Georgia, but the degree of normalization depends solely on the political will of Tbilisi. The restoration of diplomatic relations there is conditioned by the obviously unacceptable demand that Russia withdraw recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Tbilisi does not want to understand in any way that the prospects for normalization directly depend on moving towards establishing an equal and mutually respectful dialogue between Tbilisi and Tskhinvali within the framework of the Geneva discussions and solving problems within the framework of the format we have already talked about — providing legally binding guarantees of the non-use of force and resolving issues of delimitation and demarcation of the border.

— In accordance with the Treaty on Alliance and Integration, the Russian Federation contributes in every possible way to the development of international relations of the Republic of South Ossetia, including the expansion of the circle of officially recognized states. The recognition of the statehood of South Ossetia by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria is an asset of these efforts. Is the work in this direction continuing?

— I can assure you that such work is being carried out constantly, despite the active opposition from Georgia and the West, which advocates "democratic values and equality". The current geopolitical situation, the intensification by Washington and its satellites of attempts to use intra-regional contradictions for their own purposes, the ongoing anti-Ossetian and anti-Russian information campaigns complicate this process, but are unable to stop it. The COVID-19 pandemic has created serious problems for expanding international relations in the world. However, the withdrawal of South Ossetia from international isolation is an objective process determined by the will of the South Ossetian people and has historical, political and international legal grounds. Our common achievement is the recognition of South Ossetia by Syria on May 29, 2018. We will continue to work together to expand the number of states that have recognized South Ossetia, to contribute to building up the Republic's relations with countries that have already established relations with it. We welcome South Ossetia's interest in establishing cooperation with Belarus.

Today, in my opinion, it is important to focus on promoting the cultural and humanitarian component of South Ossetia's interaction with third countries. I am referring to cultural and educational exchanges, interaction through non-governmental organizations, youth structures. It is important to acquaint the foreign audience with the history, traditions and culture of the South Ossetian people, to convey the truth about South Ossetia. This should also be done in Western European countries, where there are many people who sympathize with the Republic today. We are also talking about informal contacts with parliamentarians, representatives of local authorities, and the public. The latest positive examples are the other day the head of the administration of Tskhinvali met in Beslan with the mayor of the Italian city of Gradara, where South Ossetian representatives have repeatedly visited, the performance of athletes from South Ossetia at the BRICS 2024 Games. Another important direction is economic. The main thing here is to interest partners in real projects. Over time, I am convinced, the prerequisites for establishing relations at the interstate level will be created.

For our part, we continue to provide diplomatic support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia in preparing and conducting foreign trips and visits, organizing contacts with foreign partners. In addition to embassies, representative offices of Rossotrudnichestvo abroad are actively involved in this, providing their own "platforms" for events with the participation of representatives of South Ossetia, exhibitions of South Ossetian artists, performances by cultural figures.

— One of the aspects of the activities of the Russian Embassy in South Ossetia is diplomatic support for the implementation of projects of Russian economic operators in South Ossetia, assistance to representatives of Russian business who are interested in working in the South Ossetian market. What are the features of this field of activity of the diplomatic mission?

— First of all, I would like to note that in recent years bilateral instruments have been created and are successfully functioning to provide the Russian Federation with large-scale socio-economic assistance. The agreements reached by the Presidents of Russia and South Ossetia at the meeting on March 16, 2023 in this area are being consistently implemented. Financial support measures are being implemented for the socio-economic development of the RSO, the Investment Program for Promoting the socio-economic Development of the RSO for 2023-2025 is being successfully implemented, the implementation of the state program for the socio-economic development of the RSO for 2022-2025 has been launched. Work has been carried out to increase the monetary allowance and pension provision of the law enforcement and law enforcement unit of the Republic. All this has a positive effect on all spheres of life in South Ossetia, creates conditions for the modernization of its own economy and the development of investment potential, improving the well-being of citizens, creating jobs.

We see the need for a gradual reorientation of Russian aid to strengthen South Ossetia's own economic potential, develop the real sector, create industrial enterprises and agro-industrial industries, support small and medium-sized businesses, and improve the investment climate. This is exactly what should give impetus to the South Ossetian economy, ensure its self-sufficiency with continued financial assistance from Russia. These issues are the subject of discussion within the framework of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Socio—Economic Cooperation. The Embassy carefully monitors the joint work in these areas, is involved in the coordination of certain issues.

Of course, we continue to provide diplomatic support for projects with the participation of Russian investors. First of all, it is consulting assistance, informational "recharge" on the conditions of doing business in the Republic, the specifics of tax, customs and investment legislation. We take part in the organization of visits to the RSO of business delegations from Russia.