On 20 July approximately at 23:00 the Georgian side took four citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia hostage. As RSO MIA press service has informed they were at their relatives in Georgian town Gori and were detained on their way back.
European Union’s delegation headed by the Special Representative of EU at South Caucasus Peter Semneby arrived to the Republic of South Ossetia. The delegation consisted of Robert Lidell, the first Adviser EU delegation to Georgia, Frederic Veslau and Rasa Ostrauscait, the political advisers of EU Special Representation at the Southern Caucasus.
«The peacekeeping contingent is fulfilling its duties in existing format. There are some new nuances but the work is going on»-stated to mass media the Commander of Joint Peacekeeping Forces in Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone major-general Marat Kulakhmetov.
Commenting the situation created lately in the conflict zone the Commander o JPKF stated that «it began on 3 July when two diversion and terrorist acts was committed
within a day and lately a tension increased after commitment of Georgia’s MIA armed structures to the vicinity of Eredvi and Sarabuk.
Launched by Georgian politicians and mass media hysterics shoes the readiness of Tbilisi for further escalation of tension in relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia. This was stated by the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity in the interview to IA «Res». He has also noted that «as it was more than once Georgia designedly went in for hysterics».
«Kidnapping is one of the heaviest crimes. Any act of abduction is a humiliation of human dignity, especially if the kidnapped is a 14 year-old boy»-commented to «Res» correspondent the ombudsman at RSO President David Sanakoev the fact of abduction of Andrey Petrachenko by Georgian police on 7 July.
Provocation on the night of 8 July was organized by the Georgian side as a ground for the aggression against the republic of South Ossetia.
«Georgian side is going on heating the situation in the conflict zone. Georgian Government is going on diversion and the terrorist activity at the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia. Provocation with the Georgian military servicemen was preplanned by Georgian side as a ground for the aggression against South Ossetia. Georgian side is increasing its military potential along the South Ossetian borders»-said the vice Premier, the Minister on special cases, who is also JCC co-chairman from the South Ossetian side Boris Chochiev at the briefing after the visit of the OSCE member States ambassadors to RSO.
The water supply of the capital of the Republic of South Ossetia Tskhinval reduced more than twice. As the mayor of Tskhinval Robert Guliev reported to IA «Res» correspondent the cause of water supply deterioration is due to the illegal incuts in Edis-Tskhinval water pipe at the 9 km Kekhvi-Tamarasheni sector, which is temporarily controlled by Georgian power structures.
On 7 July 2008 at 17:00 the peacekeeping post of RNO-Alania «Tsnelis» in the zone of conflict reported of the helicopter overflight. The aircraft’s route laid from the east to west, out of established corridors at the height of 4-4,5 thousand m.
The Government of the Republic of South Ossetia will bend every effort to prevent RSO armed forces from involving in provocations of Georgian side. This was stated by the President of RSO Eduard Kokoity at the Government council.
«Our main task is to provide security to our citizens and to co-ordinate the action plan to improve the situation for keeping peace and stability in the region and convince Georgian side to negotiate»-said Eduard Kokoity.
Georgian peacekeepers of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone left their positions in Tskhinval one our before the shelling of the capital of South Ossetian capital on the night from 3 to 4 July. As the correspondent of IA «Res» was informed at the press service of RSO President, JPKF Commandment was aware of Georgian observers’ intentions, but never informed Ossetian side.