Russia’s G8 Partners Condemn Its Role in Georgia Crisis

27 August 2008

(Moscow’s actions raise questions about commitments to peace and security)

By David McKeeby
Staff Writer

Washington -- Russia’s Group of Eight (G8) partners unanimously condemn its military incursion into Georgia and reject Moscow’s attempt to recognize the independence of the emerging South Caucasus democracy’s two separatist regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

“We deplore Russia’s excessive use of military force in Georgia and its continued occupation of parts of Georgia,” say foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States in an August 27 joint statement, expressing their “continued support for Georgia's sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders.”

Immediately following Russia’s August 8 invasion of its southern neighbor, the G8 ministers came together to appeal for peace in a series of conference calls with their Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, while representatives from the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) shuttled between Moscow and Tbilisi, Georgia, to broker a six-point cease-fire agreement.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s August 26 announcement recognizing Georgia’s breakaway regions compounds rising international condemnation of Russia following its refusal to honor its commitment to the EU and OSCE and withdraw all forces from Georgia and return them to their pre-conflict positions.

“Russia’s decision has called into question its commitment to peace and security in the Caucasus,” say Russia’s G8 partners, who expressed their “respect and support for the democratic and legitimate government of Georgia as we pursue a peaceful, durable solution to this conflict.” (See “U.S. Rejects Russia’s Recognition of Georgian Separatists.”)

President Bush, who has been monitoring the crisis from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, spoke with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on August 27, says spokesman Tony Fratto, and is returning to the White House, where he will get an update from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on U.S. efforts to resolve the crisis and deliver aid to thousands of families displaced by Russia’s attack.

“We will continue to make our case,” Fratto told reporters en route to Washington aboard Air Force One. “Europe, the United States and other leaders around the world will make the case to Russia that this is a very short-sighted decision on their part, and it's forced them to take a step back with respect to their relations with the rest of the world, and that step back has costs and consequences.” (See “Georgia Crisis Raises Questions About Russian Policy, Rice Says.”)

The EU is holding an emergency summit on Georgia September 1, while Bush is further underlining U.S. support by sending Vice President Dick Cheney on a mission in the region September 2, where he will hold private consultations with leaders in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Italy.

“America has sent in large amounts of humanitarian aid, along with a clear message to the people of Georgia: We support their democracy, and we'll work with our allies to ensure Georgia's territorial integrity as a free and independent nation,” Cheney said in an August 27 speech.  “The Georgian people won their freedom after years of tyranny, and they can count on the friendship of the United States.”

Meanwhile, reports from the region that Russia’s Black Sea fleet is stepping up patrols as U.S. Navy ships attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Georgia raise concerns among experts that Moscow may now be signaling plans to backtrack on yet another of its cease-fire commitments -– its pledge to allow open access for international recovery efforts.

As a result of Russian maneuvers, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas, which had been planning to deliver aid to Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti, was diverted to Batumi, Georgia. (See “United States Delivering Help and Hope to Georgia.”)

“It's very important for humanitarian supplies to get to the people who need them in the region, and we'll continue to have discussions with countries, including Russia, in terms of how to best facilitate getting that assistance into those areas where the needs are the greatest,” says State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

See the text of the joint statement.

For more information, see Crisis in Georgia.