The OSCE, which was created as an organization based on equality and consideration of the interests of all parties, has completely discredited itself. This is stated in the statement of the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry regarding the statement of the "Group of Friends of Georgia in the OSCE".
In early December, the 31st meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE Foreign Ministers' Council) was held in Valletta (Malta), during which, on behalf of the so-called Group of Friends of Georgia in the OSCE (Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Great Britain and the United States), a statement was once again voiced in a "traditional tone", containing a long-standing set of uniform and untrue expressions that do not change in form and content.
The Foreign Ministry has noted that representatives of the "collective West", , following program guidelines, once again voiced what was expected, supporting the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia", while simultaneously calling on Russia to cancel its recognition of South Ossetia and withdraw its armed forces from its territory, not forgetting to accuse it of the "occupation" and "military aggression".
"The absurdity of applying the concepts of "occupation" and "occupied territories" in relation to South Ossetia has been repeatedly proven, including in the format of International Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia, of which the OSCE is a participant. Nevertheless, instead of taking effective measures to assist in advancing the issue of Georgia signing a legally binding document on the non-use of force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Organization continues to act from the position of "double standards" year after year, leveling its own fundamental principles," the Foreign Ministry has emphasized.
The department regretfully has noted that recently the platforms of various, once authoritative international organizations have gradually degraded, turning into the instrument for imposing lies and a stage for political propaganda, Russophobic and anti-South Ossetian speeches. This also applies to the OSCE, which has long lost the ability to solve the problems facing it, primarily those related to security.
“By continuing to make routine statements, which with indefatigable consistency express the alleged “concern about human rights violations in South Ossetia” and never a single word of condemnation of the crimes and murders of hundreds of civilians in August 2008, about hundreds of thousands of expelled Ossetians, they are increasingly moving away from solving real problems,” the statement reads.
The Ministry reminded the “Group of Friends of Georgia in the OSCE” of the current geopolitical reality in the region and the importance of the objective approach in assessing the current state of affairs in relation to South Ossetia, which declared independence in the early 1990s by the will of the people in accordance with international law.
“In the context of ongoing military aggression by the Georgian nationalist forces that came to power in the former Georgian Soviet Republic, this decision became the only way to preserve their identity, language and future. Following the norms of democracy and freedom, the people of South Ossetia are realizing their inalienable right, enshrined in the Constitution, building relations based on equality, non-interference and other fundamental principles,” the Foreign Policy Ministry has stressed.
The Foreign Ministry has reminded that the tragic events of August 2008 in South Ossetia, for which the criminal regime of Saakashvili and its sponsors, including the countries of the so-called Group of Friends of Georgia in the OSCE, bear full responsibility, and the subsequent recognition of the Republic's independence by the Russian Federation, marked the beginning of a new era in the development of the Ossetian people.
"Following the spirit of historically established friendly relations with Russia, which is the only guarantor of the Republic's security, striving to strengthen peace and stability in the region, South Ossetia and the Russian Federation, on the basis of bilateral international legal documents, are improving interaction in all areas of cooperation. Recognizing the theses of the "Group of Friends of Georgia in the OSCE", voiced at the Ministerial on December 6, as absolutely untenable, one-sided and divorced from reality, we call for greater objectivity and responsibility in relation to South Ossetia," the Ministry has concluded.
