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Tuesday,
July 24,
2007, #139 (1406) “I believe what Saakashvili says, because he always fulfills his promises. South Ossetia belongs to Georgia and I’m sure that we’ll get it back soon. Kokoity and his allies in Russia are big problems, but justice always prevails.” “Frankly speaking, I have no hope of returning either Tskhinvali or Abkhazia. We are fed up with these promises. I’m from Gali and I’ve left everything I had there, a house full of furniture. Now I live in poverty. The biggest problem is Russia—that’s the reason for our unhappiness.” “Russia is crazy about our accession to NATO and tries to create as many problems as possible. I can’t guess whether or not we’ll get South Ossetia back soon, but of course I hope we do. I think Russia hates our people. If we want to have some success in returning lost territories, we must enter NATO as soon as possible and get Russian peacekeepers out of there.” “Well, Saakashvili probably meant reconciliation with South Ossetia and consequently restoration of control over the territory. I think economic rehabilitation is the most viable and realistic way to do that. Although, this will take more than a year, I guess. It’s a matter of time really—there’s no doubt the problem will eventually be solved.” “I believe in Saakashvili. I think the South Ossetian issue will be resolved in less than a year, and of course through peaceful means only.” “I didn’t hear the statement, but I’m rather skeptical of any claims of positive moves in South Ossetian conflict settlement. It’s not that easy…Russia is the main obstacle, so unless some changes occur in Georgian–Russian relations, this problem will linger on.” “I don’t think Saakashvili will take back control over South Ossetia this year. I think the announcement is just to send a message to the de facto authorities, and demonstrate our position to the international community. The biggest problem is Russia’s interests and its policy.” “Everything is a bluff. Saakashvili can’t regain power in South Ossetia so soon. Maybe one day it will happen, but not in one year. There are still plenty of barriers to be crossed; it’s not so easy.” “It’s still complicated. There are some international forces which don’t want South Ossetia to fall under Georgian authority. The most serious is Russia, which will do anything to stop Georgia from taking back control. I hope everything will be okay, and we’ll get our historical territory back.” |
In mid-June, Saakashvili mentioned that the South Ossetia issue will be “resolved in the next several months.” What do you think he means by this? Do you think Georgia will take back control of South Ossetia this year? If so, how do you think this will happen? If not, what do you think are the biggest hurdles to regaining South Ossetia?