Wednesday night's outbreak of fighting in
the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia is the fault of Russia, not Georgia, the government in Tbilisi said Thursday in response to Russian statements,
reported dpa.
"All responsibility for the recent development of events falls on
(Russia): it is from Russian territory, through the Roki tunnel, that the
mercenaries, military hardware and armament used to raid peaceful villages in
the Tskhinvali region keep penetrating Georgia," a statement from the
Georgian foreign ministry said.
"The military assistance rendered to the separatists' criminal regime by
the Russian Federation, in violation of all agreements, cannot be assessed in
any other way than as another act of aggression committed against
Georgia," the statement, which was also released by the Georgian embassy
to the European Union, said.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian officials accused Georgia of preparing for war in South Ossetia.
South Ossetia and the Georgian province of Abkhazia fought wars of independence
against Tbilisi in the early 1990s, but have not been recognized by any other
country. Since 1994, they have been occupied by Russian peacekeepers under a UN
deal.
Moscow is widely seen as backing the breakaway regions.
In April this year, NATO leaders pledged that Georgia would join the alliance
at an unspecified future date. Since then, tensions have shot up, with Russia shooting down an unmanned Georgian drone over Abkhazia and deciding to strengthen
diplomatic ties with the region.
On Wednesday night fighting broke out between Georgian forces and South
Ossetian fighters on their de facto border, with conflicting reports as to
casualties.