"A certain tendency to comprehend the actions taken, as discussed today within the context of the pre-election process, appears to suggest practical measures in the future," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the de facto Republic of South Ossetia in response to a statement made by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of Georgian Dream, in Gori.
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As anticipated, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze responded to the statements made by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream, who called for an apology to the Ossetian people for the armed aggression against the Republic of South Ossetia in August 2008. Kobakhidze stated that no one in Georgia is planning to make such an apology.
Kobakhidze's position - that his compatriots, who fought against the civilian population of South Ossetia, are heroes, while Ossetians who defended their land are murderers - reflects the distorted understanding of the real situation prevalent in Georgia.
However, the prospect of resolving relations should not be contingent on the political context in Georgia at any given moment.
"Unfortunately, the history of the Ossetian people is marked by numerous blood stains and unhealed wounds inflicted by Georgian politics and politicians in 1920, 1989-2004, and 2008," the statement reads.
The Tskhinvali occupation regime is now expecting a "real step" from the Georgian authorities.
"We expect that this real step, which would confirm the sincerity of Mr. Ivanishvili's expressed good intentions, will be a legally binding documentary commitment to renounce the use of force or the threat of force by Georgia against the republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," the so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. They also noted that the strengthening of integration with the Russian Federation is a historically conscious choice for "South Ossetia," which views Russia as a "guarantor of peace and security" in the region where a significant portion of the divided Ossetian people live.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, speaking at a pre-election meeting with voters in Gori on September 14, stated that "As soon as the October 26 elections are over, when the instigators of the war are put on trial and when all criminals receive the strictest legal verdict for the destruction of the Georgian-Ossetian brotherhood and coexistence, we will surely find the strength within ourselves to apologize for the fact that the treacherous National Movement, under the mandate, burned our Ossetian brothers and sisters in 2008."
Additionally, Ivanishvili mentioned that "we must be ready at any time for the peaceful restoration of territorial integrity," and if this occurs, it will require constitutional changes. This is one of the arguments Ivanishvili is using to persuade voters to support Georgian Dream in the October 26 elections and secure a constitutional majority in parliament.
