Press Scanner
Compiled by Mzia Kupunia
Monday, October 6
Changes should have begun with the resignation of the Defence Minister
Military analyst Irakli Sesiashvili has assessed the staff reorganization in the Ministry of Defence as inconsistent, Sakartvelos Respublika writes. Sesiashvili said the after the August events the Head of the General Staff and the Defence Minister should have been dismissed, as the Defence Minister is usually held responsible for the military situation in the country.
“The August events have shown that the Government and military officials made mistakes. The staff reorganization proves that there were mistakes made by General Staff and the Ministry of Defence,” Irakli Sesiashvili said.
Sesiashvili said that the people in charge of the defeated army should resign in order to maintain fighting spirit, but that staff changes should have started at the highest levels. “Everything happened on the contrary here, because nobody wants to blame high ranking officials for the results of August events,” Sesiashvili said.
It has been already reported that the Commander of the Georgian National Guard, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff and the Artillery and Aviation commanders have been changed. Several heads of unit were also affected by the recent staff changes.
Russia is not going to adhere to Strasbourg decisions
Political scientist Ramaz Sakvarelidze hopes that the PACE decision about ”The results of the Russian-Georgian War” will stop Moscow’s aggression towards Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.
One of the most authoritative European organizations has simply pointed to Russia that the West is not going to reconcile itself with the violation of the borders of a Council of Europe member state, Sakvarelidze said. The statement is an important one, although it is obvious that Russia is not going to execute the decisions made in Strasbourg.
Sakvarelidze noted that the PACE decision on Abkhazia and South Ossetia is politically profitable for Georgia. Since Russia acknowledged the independence of sovereign Georgian territories, this has become the subject of international discussion.
Moscow is working on economic occupation
After its military occupation of Georgian territory Moscow is now planning an economic occupation, 24 Saati reports.
Moscow is intending to build a railway line connecting Russia to the Tskhinvali region, as the head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin announced, speaking at the InterFax office. The initiative to do this, which is already being discussed, came from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The project will be financed by the Russian state budget and will cost about 10 billion USD.
According to Yakunin, such a plan existed in Soviet times, however right now Moscow is working to make the project more profitable. According to Russian Duma members, Moscow is morally obliged to help the separatist regions, because this project carries a social-economic meaning for them. A new railway station will probably be built adjacent to the village of Kurta.
Unlike Russian MPs, Georgian lawmakers consider the project yet another mistake by Russia. Russia will have to deal with international courts if it carries out this project, Georgian MPs say. “Georgia has already adopted a law about occupied territories that defines the rules for doing big business in Tskhinvali region. Medvedev’s project will be a direct violation of this law,” said the Deputy Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee Nika Rurua.
Georgian Parliamentary opposition representatives said the initiative is part of Russia’s expansion plan. The opposition stressed that the project will not be financially profitable for Russia. “This project will be so expensive for Russia that, considering the postwar economic crisis in the Federation, I think it will create a negative reaction even in Russia,” Gia Tsagareishvili said.
Military analyst Irakli Sesiashvili has assessed the staff reorganization in the Ministry of Defence as inconsistent, Sakartvelos Respublika writes. Sesiashvili said the after the August events the Head of the General Staff and the Defence Minister should have been dismissed, as the Defence Minister is usually held responsible for the military situation in the country.
“The August events have shown that the Government and military officials made mistakes. The staff reorganization proves that there were mistakes made by General Staff and the Ministry of Defence,” Irakli Sesiashvili said.
Sesiashvili said that the people in charge of the defeated army should resign in order to maintain fighting spirit, but that staff changes should have started at the highest levels. “Everything happened on the contrary here, because nobody wants to blame high ranking officials for the results of August events,” Sesiashvili said.
It has been already reported that the Commander of the Georgian National Guard, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff and the Artillery and Aviation commanders have been changed. Several heads of unit were also affected by the recent staff changes.
Russia is not going to adhere to Strasbourg decisions
Political scientist Ramaz Sakvarelidze hopes that the PACE decision about ”The results of the Russian-Georgian War” will stop Moscow’s aggression towards Georgia, Sakartvelos Respublika reports.
One of the most authoritative European organizations has simply pointed to Russia that the West is not going to reconcile itself with the violation of the borders of a Council of Europe member state, Sakvarelidze said. The statement is an important one, although it is obvious that Russia is not going to execute the decisions made in Strasbourg.
Sakvarelidze noted that the PACE decision on Abkhazia and South Ossetia is politically profitable for Georgia. Since Russia acknowledged the independence of sovereign Georgian territories, this has become the subject of international discussion.
Moscow is working on economic occupation
After its military occupation of Georgian territory Moscow is now planning an economic occupation, 24 Saati reports.
Moscow is intending to build a railway line connecting Russia to the Tskhinvali region, as the head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin announced, speaking at the InterFax office. The initiative to do this, which is already being discussed, came from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The project will be financed by the Russian state budget and will cost about 10 billion USD.
According to Yakunin, such a plan existed in Soviet times, however right now Moscow is working to make the project more profitable. According to Russian Duma members, Moscow is morally obliged to help the separatist regions, because this project carries a social-economic meaning for them. A new railway station will probably be built adjacent to the village of Kurta.
Unlike Russian MPs, Georgian lawmakers consider the project yet another mistake by Russia. Russia will have to deal with international courts if it carries out this project, Georgian MPs say. “Georgia has already adopted a law about occupied territories that defines the rules for doing big business in Tskhinvali region. Medvedev’s project will be a direct violation of this law,” said the Deputy Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee Nika Rurua.
Georgian Parliamentary opposition representatives said the initiative is part of Russia’s expansion plan. The opposition stressed that the project will not be financially profitable for Russia. “This project will be so expensive for Russia that, considering the postwar economic crisis in the Federation, I think it will create a negative reaction even in Russia,” Gia Tsagareishvili said.