Today we commemorate the tragic events that took place in the South Caucasus 15 years ago. In the early hours of August 8, 2008, the Saakashvili regime, cynically violating every international agreement on the peaceful settlement of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, treacherously attacked South Ossetia. Another assault simultaneously targeted the bases of Russian peacekeepers. This criminal and reckless act resulted in numerous casualties among the residents of South Ossetia and Russian military personnel. Georgia’s actions were later officially qualified as an unprovoked aggression, in particular, in the report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia created under the auspices of the European Union and headed by Heidi Tagliavini.

Those events warranted urgent decisions. Under the circumstances, Russia had no choice but to launch a peace enforcement operation against the aggressor. On August 26, the Russian Federation recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign independent states. Over the past years, those countries have achieved tangible results in their difficult evolution as independent democratic states and continue to expand their contacts with foreign countries and build up their influence in the international arena.

In October 2008, a new negotiating format was launched, the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasus (GID), with a mission to create a sustainable regional security system in the new geopolitical reality. The Geneva platform provides unique opportunities for this, as it allows Georgia to conduct direct dialogue with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which is vital for improving relations in the Tbilisi-Sukhum-Tskhinval triangle. Over the past years, a lot of work has been done under the auspices of Geneva, making it possible to maintain an acceptable level of security on the borders of the three states. The GID format includes two working groups, which discuss security and humanitarian issues. Despite all the disagreements, the participants in the Geneva discussions have managed to reach agreement on the functioning of mechanisms for preventing and responding to incidents on the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-South Ossetian borders, as well as a round-the-clock urgent communication channel. Coordination algorithms have been worked out between law enforcement agencies on both sides of the borders, international organisations (EU, UN, OSCE), and representatives of local civilian administrations in the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia and the Republic of South Ossetia. All of this makes a significant practical contribution to the settlement of border disputes and the effective solution of humanitarian problems and other issues that can have a negative impact on regional stability and security.

However, certain players are trying to test the Geneva Discussions for strength. On the wave of Russophobia, our Western opponents have insisted on the cancellation of several GID meetings under far-fetched pretexts. They did not return to work in the usual format until they realised the growing risks to regional security due to the interrupted dialogue. We hope that the dynamics of the meetings and their agenda will not be influenced by political factors in the future.

Russia remains confident that achieving the goals of establishing lasting security in the region is impossible without a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force between Georgia, on the one hand, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia, on the other, as well as the delimitation of the state borders between them with their subsequent demarcation. Together with our Abkhazian and South Ossetian allies, we will continue to insist on starting practical work on these fundamental issues in Geneva, and will expect a more constructive approach from the Georgian side. There is no doubt that the achievement of stable agreements on security aligns with the interests of each of the three countries in the region.