Azerbaijan , Baku, Sept. 29 / Trend , G.Dadashova /
Russia is continuing its hypocritical attempts to assure the international community that it is a peacekeeper and not a party to the conflict, and that the Russian government is therefore capable of guaranteeing peace and security in the region, the Georgian Foreign Ministry stated.
The ministry issued a statement in reaction to the opinions expressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a high-level meeting of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly on Sept.27, 2011.
Lavrov once again tried to accuse Georgia of starting the hostilities of August 2008 and once again confirmed Moscow's readiness to be "a guarantor of arrangements regarding the non-use of force between Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia", the statement reads.
"In doing so, Moscow is once again trying to create an illusion whereby the occupation regimes it has created in Georgia's occupied territories should be considered as being subject to international law. Mr. Lavrov's statement also unequivocally indicates that the Russian government is pursuing its attempts to establish so-called "lines of demarcation" and "exclusive spheres of influence" in Europe."
The ministry states that Russia cares nothing for bilateral and multilateral obligations, including provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement of 12 August 2008.
"The Russian Federation must - as soon as possible - renew its obligation under international law not to use force against Georgia. Only through such measures will Russia be able to slightly improve stability and security in the region," the statement reads.
Military actions were launched in the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia in August 2008. Georgian troops entered Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia and later Russian troops occupied the city and drove the Georgian military back to Georgia.
Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on Aug. 26 and established diplomatic relations on Sept. 9, 2008. Georgia's autonomous regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia unilaterally declared independence from Georgia after the August 2008 war.