Comment of the Plenipotentiary of the President of South Ossetia Murat Dzhioev on the statements of the current Georgian authorities to amend the so-called law on "the occupied territories."
The so-called law on the occupied territories of Georgia was adopted in autumn 2008, after the failed attempt of the Georgian authorities to seize South Ossetia, applying military force. In essence, this "law" was a clear demonstration of the fact that Saakashvili continued pursuing the policy of Gamsakhurdia, aimed at tight blockade of South Ossetia.
And if Gamsakhurdia managed to cut all the economic and other ties between Georgia and South Ossetia, the "law" by Saakashvili looked even comical, as more than 20 years South Ossetia was completely tied to Russia and the roads to Georgia were not safe, therefore nobody used them. But Saakashvili pursued explicitly the political purpose.
The fact that the present authorities of Georgia, who first declared on the need to repeal this law, and now have proposed to make only the amendments, is the evidence that they are not much better than Saakashvili and his entourage in their attitude to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
There started the battles between the politicians and political scientists of Georgia to commute the "punishment for illegal entry into South Ossetia and Abkhazia." It`s waste of time and energy. The fact is that under the law of the Republic of South Ossetia, there are two check-points at the border of the RSO: one is located at the border with Russia and another –at the border with Georgia. The road connecting the Republic of South Ossetia with the Russian Federation and with the whole world, has been functioning regularly, as for the check-point at the border with Georgia, it is closed due to the lack of relations between the two countries. (This check-point opens once in two - three months for the passage of the delegation of co-chairmen of the Geneva talks, which is the evidence that South Ossetian authorities are interested in the development of the Geneva process). So, one should not break lances over the "weakening" of the entrance into South Ossetia from Georgia. If the Georgian authorities are truly, but not just for show interested in improving relations with South Ossetia, they need to cancel this "law", to recognize the Republic of South Ossetia, the responsibility for the aggression against it, and to hold the negotiation on the state border and its crossing points.
