European Forum

EU report: Georgia initiated conflict with Russia

An EU-commissioned report saying that Georgia's unjustifiable attack on its breakaway South Ossetia region "marked the beginning" of last year's war with Russia, was published yesterday, 30 September.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008. The conflict saw Russian troops repel an assault on the breakaway pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, which broke free from Tbilisi's rule in the early 1990s. The report, commissioned by the EU and drafted under the leadership of Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, gives a clear answer to the main question of who started the war. According to the report, it was the Georgian massive shelling and artillery attack on the city of Tshinvali [the main city of the Georgian province of South Ossetia], during the night of 7-8 August 2008, which marked the beginning of large-scale hostilities. However, the attack followed "long periods of increasing tensions, provocations and incidents" between the two countries, and both sides violated international law, the report said.

Russia declared the report delivered an "unequivocal answer" on the question of who started the conflict. Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU, expressed hope that those countries who were still unsure of where responsibility for the Georgia war lies would now come up with a "clearer position". He said he also hoped that countries which support Georgian President Saakashvili would now "think twice", claiming that those seeking to ‘poison’ the overall improvement of his country's relations with the US and the West had suffered a blow.

According to Georgia, however, the investigation proved that Russia had been preparing a war all along. Georgia’s ambassador to the EU declared that "the allegations of my country have been proven. It was Georgia that was invaded by another country, in violation of international law."


Source: EurActiv, BBC News, EUobserver