MFA reply to News-Georgia Agency

Question: In his interview to Vremya Novostey, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko accused Georgia of gross violation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the preamble of which reads that conscious of the need to prevent any military conflict, the state parties refrain from the use of force. How will you assess this statement?

Reply: It needs to be emphasized first of all that the Georgian side considers the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe as a cornerstone of the system of European security and strictly adheres to each of the Treaty-stipulated commitments.

As for Mr. Grushko’s comment, such absurd accusations take on a particularly cynical overtone when voiced by an official of the state, which has unleashed a large-scale military aggression against its neighbouring sovereign state, occupying a considerable part of its territory and conducting ethnic cleansing there.

It would be expedient for the Russian side to recall, while making similar statements, the so-called military operation Russia carried out in Chechnia, which entailed dire humanitarian consequences.

Furthermore, it is Russia’s non-fulfillment of its international commitments (Istanbul commitments) that has blocked the entry into force of the adapted CFE Treaty for so many years. Moreover, in December 2007 Russia violated the CFE Treaty by imposing a moratorium on its implementation thus putting the system of European security under serious threat.