Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia are recalling the war of 2008. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev emphasized yesterday that he did not plan to take over the power of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. He said that recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states was right.
Georgian Defense Minister Irakly Alasania said that the republic was trying to improve relations with Russia and restore ties with the breakaway republics. He expects no breakthroughs in the next decade. Representative of the Georgian prime minister for settlement of relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze admitted that Georgia made mistakes in 2008.
South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov said that Russia was the country to bring peace and restoration to the country.
Philosopher Zaza Shatirishvili clarified that Russian involvement in the conflict and recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was revenge for the events in the Balkans and Kosovo. He noted that the Russian-Georgian war had been going on for 400 years and the events in 2008 was a clash of civilizations.
Petre Mamradze, ex-head of the state chancellery, writer and political analyst, believes that national interests of Russia and Georgia have always been the same and the US always wanted Saakashvili to find common grounds with Russia. He added that the war was not caused by disagreements of the two states, but by insanity of Saakashvili.
