Tskhinvali said Georgian Dream’s statements accusing former President Mikheil Saakashvili of starting the August 2008 war mean that responsibility for the conflict “should be borne by the country.”
As Georgia marked the war’s 18th anniversary, ruling Georgian Dream leaders, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, reiterated on August 8 their longstanding accusation that the former United National Movement (UNM) government, led by Saakashvili, started the war. When asked whether holding the former government responsible amounted to blaming Georgia, they, however, distinguished what they called the UNM “regime” from Georgia as a country.
In an August 9 statement, the de facto foreign ministry of occupied Tskhinvali/South Ossetia cited recent statements by GD leaders, specifically Kobakhidze, accusing Saakashvili of being responsible for the “military aggression.” It then noted: “It is also absolutely obvious that Saakashvili is not the only one responsible. As head of state, he had a mandate to act on behalf of the Georgian state and issue criminal orders while pursuing an anti-Ossetian and anti-Abkhaz policy.”
“Therefore, responsibility for the August 2008 war should be borne by the country as the subject of this policy, including figures from the Saakashvili regime who implemented his policies.”
In the same statement, the de facto agency criticized the Georgian Foreign Ministry’s August 8 statement, calling it “illogical” for Tbilisi to demand that Russia end the “illegal occupation of its territories.”
“We consider the assessments set out in the Georgian Foreign Ministry’s document to be extremely tendentious and detached from reality,” the de facto agency said, adding that “Russia was and remains a reliable guarantor of security, and the bilateral relations being built have a solid legal foundation.” The statement called on Tbilisi to “refrain from attempts to interfere in the affairs of other countries” and adopt a “more constructive position.”
In an August 8 statement commemorating the 18th anniversary of the war, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry called on Russia to “cease” the illegal occupation of Georgia’s territories and actions aimed at their de facto annexation, “fully implement” the EU-brokered August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement, “withdraw” its military forces from Georgian territory, and “ensure” the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes.
While many in Georgia and the West mark the August war anniversary on August 7, when Russian troops had already been present in Georgian territory, Georgian Dream and Russia have traditionally observed it on August 8, accusing the then-Georgian government of triggering the conflict through a military operation in Tskhinvali. This has been the case this year too.
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