Georgian FM Says EU’s War Report Helpful for Tbilisi
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 1 Oct.'09 / 00:14

Georgian Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, said that although Georgia disagreed with some aspects of the EU-commissioned August war report, the document in overall would be helpful for Georgia.

“In overall, this report will help Georgia in backing its position,” Vashadze told the Rustavi 2 television station.

He, however, complained that the report did not contain direct wording about Russian military aggression.

“The facts, which were very correctly articulated in the report, unfortunately did not lead the commission – again because of political correctness - to eventual conclusion, to the writing three words – the Russian military aggression,” he said.

The Georgian government said in a written statement that it disagreed with EU-funded fact-finding mission’s conclusion that Georgia used unnecessary and disproportionate force.

“No democratic government can survive if, when foreign forces enter its territory, it fails to defend its citizens. Georgia acted as any democratic nation would have done—a fact that is impossible for a reasonable observer to deny,” it said.

“While the report acknowledges that Russia armed and supported Tskhinvali and Abkhaz separatists, it avoids assigning the responsibility for their actions to Russian Federation. Nevertheless, there is extensive evidence to prove Russia’s direct control of proxy authorities,” the Georgian government said.

Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian state minister for reintegration, told the Tbilisi-based Kavkasia television station, that the report “in overall should be deemed as positive for Georgia” especially against the background that some experts working for the commission, he said, were biased against Georgia. Earlier this year Iakobashvili questioned credibility of some of the experts working with the mission.

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