The meeting of B. Chochiev and M. Frichova

On 22 July 2008 the Deputy Chairman of the Government, the Minister for Special Affairs of the RSO, the JCC Co-chair from the South Ossetian part Boris Chochiev received an independent consultant on the conflict issues Magdalena Frichova. From the South Ossetian part of the JCC the meeting was attended by the Secretary of the South Ossetian part of the JCC, the representative of the South Ossetian Government to the Steering Committee on the implementation of the international Donor Program on the Economic rehabilitation of the Georgian - Ossetian conflict zone Leonid Tibilov, the Head of the Information Department of the JCC Inal Pliev.

Magdalena Frichova informed that she had arrived to South Ossetia to learn the situation on the ground with the aim of preparing the report for the External Relations Committee of the European Parliament. During the meeting there was a discussion of the issues related to the implementation of the Donor Program, and also the issues related to the assistance rendered by Russia to South Ossetia and the recent situation around South Ossetia.

Boris Chochiev noted that at present the situation is much more complicated and dangerous than it was in 2004. The Georgian side has chosen the very dangerous way under the slogan “to destroy everything”. They are very successfully implementing not only the breakdown process of the JCC but the breakdown of all the mechanisms of the existing negotiation format. And the main negative point is the failure of all contacts between the sides in the conflict over the year that causes great danger.

Boris Chochiev mentioned the permanent shellings of Tskhinval and other settlements of South Ossetia, and underscored that one hour prior to one of the shellings, exactly on 4 July the Georgian personnel of the JPKF left the Joint JPKF Headquarters that indicates that the shelling was planned by the Georgian side and they in advance warned their representatives.

As a result of the actions of the Georgian side the situation became tense till 8 July and but for the overflight of the Russian aircrafts the full-scaled war with all the ensuing negative bloody consequences would have started.
Boris Chochiev stressed that in South Ossetia live 97 % of Russian citizens and Russia does not have only the right to defend them but it is obliged to do it according the Constitution moreover Russia is the main guarantor of peace in the conflict zone and has intentional commitment to prevent the unleashing of war here.

The Minister informed that the Steering Committee had not conducted its meetings since February 2008 to discuss the issues of the implementation of the Donor Program. South Ossetia is very thankful to those countries which allocated funds of more than 8 million Euro. But the Georgian side is fully politicizing and blocking the Donor Program. From the total sum about 1 million rubles was spent. Others projects are not being implemented owing to the fact that the Georgian side refuses to approve the decisions brought up for discussion at the Steering Committee meetings. Even it was noted in the OSCE reports that during the meeting of Ryan Grist and the leaders of the Program with the Deputy Minister of the Georgian Interior Ministry on the issue of the delivery of the building materials to South Ossetia the Deputy stated the following: “no building materials would be permitted to cross into these areas even if they were to be used for internationally-funded school and hospital projects previously agreed between the Georgian and Ossetian sides”.

“South Ossetia does not understand why the OSCE participating states are keeping silence and do not condemn the actions of Georgia. Furthermore these countries are actively arming Georgia”, underscored Boris Chochiev.

He noted that “little steps that are being made in relation to the implementation of projects of the Program is the merit of Ryan Grist. As regards the water projects the Georgian side says: you do not have water and why do you need the reservoirs? But we do not have water because the Georgian side is making cuts into the waterpipe Edis – Tskhinval thereby dewatering the town”.

It was noted at the meeting that if the Georgian side is considering the manipulations with water and the water blockade of the town as the tool of the state policy, then what should we demand from Georgia?

The schools remained unfinished because the Georgian side does not allow the building materials through and it is unclear what to do with the children on 1 September.

There are many projects that must have been implemented within the framework of the Donor Program but in connection with their blocking by the Georgian side they are being implemented by South Ossetia with assistance of Russia: modernization of transportation links, rehabilitation of schools in Kvaisa, Gufta, the reservoir in Tskhinval, the agro-service in the Tskhinval and Znaur districts, gasification of schools and kindergartens, setting of small-scale enterprises and farming.

“What is built in South Ossetia is being built by Russia within the framework of the Agreement of December 2000 between the Governments of Russia and Georgia”. South Ossetia itself accepted the State Program of the economical development aimed at the support of the farming and small-scale business; it has bought the road machinery for the districts of the Republic, soon the sewing factory will start working providing 300 working places.

Also it was noted that the Georgian side not only prevents the transport of products produced in South Ossetia but also calls it smuggling, de-facto recognizing South Ossetia as a separate state.

Boris Chochiev mentioned some facts of unfounded detention of the residents of South Ossetia under different pretexts and gave the recent example when the two residents of South Ossetia were planted drugs on, but later it was ascertained that they were the members of one of the religious communities (the Pentecostals) known both for the Ossetians and Georgians, affording nothing of the kind.
The meeting went in the constructive atmosphere of understanding.