Georgy Haindrava: “The community of Georgia will not admit any military activities neither in Tskhinval nor in Abkhazian directions”

- In internet issues there was information about military preparations which are being made in Georgia and that the matter is not in exercises but in preparations to military activities against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. What is your opinion about this?
- Any military preparations are out of the question. I repeatedly stated that the Georgian community will not admit this because our way is peaceful settlement of the problem. The whole population of Georgia understands it. Even if any adventures have such ideas, to my mind it is excluded. The community will not admit any military activities neither in Tskhinval nor in Abkhazian directions. And preparation of reservists is a normal process, in many civilized countries it is an accepted form, but it has nothing to do with preparation to military activities. It is a regular and even a positive process, young people in any state must know how to defend their Native land.
- How do you treat the appearance of such a structure in the Government as Ministry for Re-Integration of Georgia?
- What about the Ministry for Re-Integration of Georgia I think the only way is the way of negotiations and coming form that task I never bent aside from that way, being a State Minister on Resolution yet. The leadership of Georgia sees the resolution of this task in other way, this is their vision, and they will be responsible for this in front of the whole population of Georgia and in front of all nations populating Georgia, give a report about what they have done. The matter is not in the name, but in the sense: one may call it as he likes and how he likes; the main thing is how the process goes, in what direction moves our society and the negotiation process.
- But with participation of the Ministry for Re-Integration it is impossible to achieve even those agreements which were reached by the Joint Control Commission even in more serious military and political conditions.
- I’ll say again: even if those decisions which were accepted by JCC had been realized, the question would have stood in other way. And since the majority of decisions accepted by us and our predecessors for many years were only on paper, it was natural that sooner or later this organ would die. I think now it is time to think about new forms, at any rate it is clear that the negotiation process must be continued and there is no other decision beside the peaceful settlement and searching for mutually acceptable ways.
- You know that Georgian Interior Ministry and its armed detachments, blocked Osset villages, did not let pass there even to ambulances and because of this died more than ten people. How will you comment this?
- It is difficult to give comments about this as I‘m not well informed. I think that now the worst position which prevents most of all is a one-sided approach to the issues. I think the questions must be put in other way. It is necessary to take common decisions, it is necessary to understand that with such confrontation there is no way out. Illegal checkpoints must be removed, the conflict zone must be demilitarized, armed formations must be withdrawn and it is necessary to move to normal life channel. It is absolutely clear: we must go from arms, from confrontation and restore normal civilized brothering relations which always existed between us.

On the photo: Georgy Haindrava on the post of the JCC Co-Chair speaks on the JCC meeting. 2006.