The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement calling for Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia to sign a treaty on mutual non-use of force that could become the first step in arranging fully-fledged dialogue.

“Over the past years Russia’s efforts in the Southern Caucasus have been aimed at the restoration of the dialogue and the full-fledged talks between Georgia on one side and Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the other. Signing mutual non-aggression treaties by these countries could become the first step in the right direction,” reads the ministry’s statement released in connection with the 10th anniversary of the military conflict in South Ossetia.

“We hope that common sense will prevail, eventually,” the Russian diplomats noted.

The ministry also stated that the tragic events of 2008 were another reminder that any attempts to resolve various controversies in international politics by use of force were useless and counterproductive.

At the same time, the current Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili holds that the blame for secession of Abkhazia and South Ossetia lies entirely on Russia. At the Tuesday meeting with foreign ministers of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia the Georgian leader alleged that Russia deliberately separated these republics from Georgia in 1991-92 and thus planted the seeds of future conflict.

Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin also commented on the anniversary of the 2008 conflict in an interview with TASS and stated that the events in South Ossetia should have taught official Tbilisi that the punishment for any aggression would be inevitable.

“Back then, Mikheil Saakashvili chose to go for broke and lost, as it always happens with leaders who like to gamble and lack basic responsibility. He started a bloody aggression against Abkhazia and North Ossetia and as a result he found himself in a completely new reality, with two young states that were recognized as independent by our country on August 26, 2008 – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We are developing an alliance with these nations and we will continue to do so,” the official told reporters.

“I hope that conclusions regarding various aggressive nations will be made not only in Tbilisi and other capitals in the Caucasus region, but also all over the world. The events of 2008 definitely demonstrated that any aggression can be punished and results of any aggressive actions would be opposite to the aggressor’s plans,” Karasin said.

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