Statement and Answers to Journalists Questions after the 22 RussiaEU Summit.Part 3
November 14, 2008
Nice
Совместная пресс-конференция с Президентом Франции, Председателем Совета Евросоюза Николя Саркози и Председателем Комиссии Европейских сообществ Жозе Мануэлом Баррозу по итогам 22-го саммита Россия-ЕС.
14 ноября 2008 года
Ницца
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Let me say three things.
Russia fully recognises the territorial integrity of Georgia, taking into account the earlier recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent entities under international law. That is the first thing.
Second: I believe that the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan has been competently executed, as lawyers say. For this I would like to individually thank our European colleagues.
And, finally, we are ready to continue in an absolutely constructive way to discuss all issues related to the settlement in the Caucasus. And we will continue: we are ready to discuss matters directly during any sort of meeting that can be arranged, face to face, even if one of the consequences is a bunch of talk about non-existent details. Russia will work with its partners.
QUESTION (TV channel Rossiya): The more time goes by since the events in August the more details become available. There appeared a version that Russian troops were preparing to enter Tbilisi, a version that is replete with naturalistic details. OSCE [Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe] monitors have claimed in the past week that they had warned about the forthcoming Georgian aggression, but that the OSCE didnt take them seriously. Now not even the Russian but the American and British press are reporting that in private briefings the OSCE is telling Western diplomats that Georgia struck the first blow.
So in what frame of reference are you discussing the events in August and how do you understand them today?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: We are sticking with the old frame of reference. We absolutely believe the same accounts that we had in August of this year, and prior to that. We have always wanted the problems that exist in the Caucasus, including the relations between Georgia on the one hand and South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other, to be resolved peacefully. Unfortunately, on 8 August that frame of reference was destroyed unilaterally by the Tbilisi regime. Russias reaction followed: we had to intervene to protect people, to defend their right to exist simply as ethnic groups, and to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Our intervention was limited and absolutely necessary given the situation. We acted in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter and the right of self-defence. After these events took place, we were forced to recognise two new nations under international law and our position on this remains unchanged to this day. As I had occasion to say quite recently, our recognising them is final and irreversible. This is not an occasion for games, it is a carefully considered state decision. We will develop full-fledged relations with these states created according to international law.
As for our relations with the EU on this matter and my personal relationship with the French President, I believe that the EU has played a very constructive role during the conflict. It intervened at the right time, performed peacekeeping functions, and helped restore law and order. Although in fact if you go back to the events of August, you know that even before my first meeting with the President of France, with my colleague Nicolas Sarkozy, I had already decided to suspend the operation designed to force Georgia to accept peace. But with that as a background, our negotiations were certainly far more successful and culminated in the settlement that still obtains. Once again, I would like to repeat - and repeat it here in this room - that we are satisfied with the course of these negotiations. And I believe that all the points of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan have been fully implemented.
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Д.Медведев.Совместная пресс-конференция.14.11.08.Part 4by niknikolay576 views
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