Friday, August 22, 2008

Ukraine-Georgia press conference

On 19 August 2008, at the GUAM press centre in the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Ukraine Merab Antadze and GUAM Secretary General Valeri Chechelashvili held a press conference for representatives of the mass media and diplomatic missions concerning the consequences of the Russian-Georgian conflict.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Ukraine Merab Antadze discussed the reasons behind the Russian-Georgian conflict and the consequences that ensued after the Russian Federation’s military aggression and ethnic cleansing conducted in Georgia.

GUAM Secretary General Valeri Chechelashvili focused the attention of the attending audience on the fact that Russia’s actions resulted in the disruption of regional cooperation and blockade of energy and transport communications and called on the chairs of the international organizations of which Russia is a member to exert pressure on Moscow in order to bring it back within the frames of international law.

Mr. Chechelashvili noted that with its actions Russia undermined BlackSeaFor, disintegrated CIS, restored the Big Seven and denied itself access to WTO and the right to act as a mediator in conflict resolution process on the territory of Georgia.