Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia in connection with the declaration of Hillary Clinton at the briefing in Batumi
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia is deeply concerned about the statement of the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, made at a briefing in Batumi on June 5, on "recognition of the so-called neutral passports to residents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia."
Supporting unrealistic offers of Tbilisi authorities by some Western politicians and countries has exited special vigilance in Tskhinval. In her statement, which had been clearly tailored to the expectations of the Georgian audience, Hillary Clinton passed the brink of a valid, considering herself entitled to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state of the Republic of South Ossetia and to decide for its citizens what documents they need to acquire.
It is clear that this idea is a part of refined and verified Georgian policy of "involvement without recognition", developed after August 2008 and allegedly aimed at ending the isolation of South Ossetia. In fact, the main goal of Georgia and those who are actively supporting the idea of "neutral passports," is undermining stability in the region.
The citizens of South Ossetia in an absolute majority have legal identity documents- the passports of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation; they can travel around the world with these passports, and no one in South Ossetia is interested in the so-called "neutral passports". The widely declared "neutrality" of these document in fact is not a per se, as the "country code" contains a reference to Georgia.
Highly politicized and selective approach of the Western politicians to address issues related to South Ossetia without the consent of representatives of the South Ossetian side will not help stabilizing the situation in the region.
West in general and the United States in particular, should learn lessons from August 2008, move away from the bloc mentality and not ignore the legal documents of South Ossetia, otherwise it will be regarded as discrimination of the South Ossetian citizens. Against the background of the upcoming round of the Geneva discussions, such moves will have a negative impact on the negotiation process and will encourage Georgia to further failure to sign a legally binding document on the non-use of force.
Tskhinval, June 6, 2012.
