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Saakashvili must answer to his people – Medvedev
Published: 11 February, 2010, 14:06
Edited: 17 February, 2010, 17:27
Tskhinvali
TAGS: Medvedev, Georgia, Ossetian War, Politics
Speaking to students in the Russian city of Tomsk, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev said that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has to answer to the Georgian people for dragging them into a war.
During the meeting, a female student wondered why the Georgian head of state had not been tried for the August 2008 events in South Ossetia.
"That is not fair,” she said as quoted by Interfax. “Everyone is put on trial, but not Mikhail Saakashvili, who organized genocide of our people."
President Medvedev said he totally agrees.
“Everyone has to be responsible for their actions. So if one has committed what Saakashvili did, especially while being a president, he must answer for his actions. He will be held accountable sooner or later,” he said. “First of all he must answer in front of his people, whom he dragged into a war, causing casualties and bringing about the destruction of his country”.
"Now I know what average people in Tomsk worry about. It would be good for Saakashvili to know that too," he added. "Hopefully, the information will be conveyed [to Saakashvili], as this meeting is broadcasted."
Georgian troops launched a military attack on the South Ossetian capital Tskhinval early in the morning of August 8, 2008, when people were peacefully sleeping. The shelling was accompanied by an attack from the air. As a result, part of the city was ruined and many people were killed or wounded.
In order to protect the South Ossetians, many of whom also have Russian citizenship, Russian troops entered the republic. As a result of the five-day war that followed, Georgian troops were pushed out of the region.
Shortly after the war, Moscow recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Tbilisi, angered at the move, cut diplomatic ties with Russia and proclaimed the two republics occupied territories.
Since then, the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia has been recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela and the Republic of Nauru.
At first, the West met Russia’s involvement in the conflict with fierce criticism. However, later Tbilisi was blamed for igniting the war.
According to an investigative report carried out by the EU, Georgia was responsible for unleashing the Five-Day War in the Caucasus. Georgia fired the first shot and the opening attack was not justifiable under international law, the document published in the fall of 2009 stated.
10.02.2010, 21:14
12 comments
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Saakashvili are still harbouring ill intentions against Russia, he and his friends are still organizing terrorist activities in Russia. He should be trial for genocide and terrorism.
The West will never bring Saakashvili to trial for his crimes against the S. Ossetian people, any more than they would try president Bush for his massive crimes against the Afghan and Iraqi people. The Georgian people have a difficult time getting the truth about Mikhail Saakashvili's surprise attack on Tskhinvali that left this capital of South Ossetia in ruins because Georgia does not have a media free of government control. To this day, the average Georgian still believes the government propaganda that Russia invaded their country, and that their beloved Saakashvili rose up as an heroic figure to protect their Sakartvello. Perhaps one day the Georgians may even erect a monument showing Saakashvili on a horse waving a sword towards the north. The only people who can try Mikhail Saakashvili for his crime against the S. Ossetian people are the Georgians themselves, because Saakashvili is the darling of US, NATO and EU. In addition, Saaksahvili and his cohorts are masters of deception from waving the EU flag (an organization to which Georgia does not belong) to pulling the wool over the eyes of president Bush and those two old American senators, Lugar and McCain.
When Saakashvili is no longer in power in Georgia I would suspect he will decide to move to the US because any other party that gets into power in Georgia will want revenge for the way he has treated them and the country he currently leads. I agree NATO and the EU will do nothing... they don't care about democracy or freedom or human rights. Such empty words are political weapons to attack enemies of Europe and the west like Russia or Serbia. The way they use them makes them quite meaningless to the rest of the world. The question is will Saakashvili escape his rivals in Georgia in time to make it to foreign soil or will they corner the rat and make him pay for what he has done. I doubt his replacements will be any friendlier to Russia but at least they will be more rational and stable, and dare I say it even more democratic... though how could they possibly be less democratic than the great eater of ties.