EU official congratulates South Ossetia’s newly elected President. Tbilisi seeks explanations from Brussels

The Georgian Minister of Culture, Mikheil Giorgadze, believes that the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Herbert Salber, should be ‘replaced by some other person’. The reason for the aforesaid is a statement that the EU Special Representative made during his visit to South Ossetia, on 16 May.

Namely, Herbert Salber congratulated South Ossetia’s newly elected President, Anatoly Bibilov, on winning the presidential race.

“First of all, let me congratulate you on the results of election, as well as on assuming the important post that you have now,” Salber told Bibilov.

In Mikheil Giorgadze’s words, this situation is absolutely unacceptable for the Georgian side. Georgia keeps in contact with the EU and, as a logical follow-up to this process, the incumbent Special Representative will be replaced by some other candidate.

In this regard, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Janos Herman, was summoned for an emergency meeting to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, on 17 May. As David Dondua, Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia, explained following the meeting, the European Union had reiterated its support to Georgia on a number of occasions. However, this time, the Georgian side seeks official explanations from Brussels.

“What we have heard from the EU Special Representative and Geneva co-chair is, to put it mildly, unclear and unacceptable. It contradicts the principles of international law and doesn’t contribute to the efforts of both, Georgia and the international community, to solve the conflict peacefully. We are in touch with the EU leadership and hope that this will be followed by an adequate reaction from Brussels,” Dondua said after a meeting with the EU Ambassador.

Ambassador Herman, in turn, stressed that the EU doesn’t recognize the so-called presidential election in South Ossetia.

“What the EU firmly supports is the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. I have discussed the prospects for cooperation in this area with the Deputy Foreign Minister,” said Janos Herman.

When asked about the purpose of the EU Special Representative’s visit to South Ossetia, Ambassador Herman stated that he was juts expressing the position of the European Union and that Mr. Salber would make explanations with regard to his visit himself.

Herbert Salber’s visit to South Ossetia is related to the upcoming 40^th round of Geneva Security discussions. On 17 May, the EU official also visited Gali (Abkhazia), where the Co-chairs of Geneva International Discussions monitored the closure of 3 border checkpoints on the occupation line in Gali district. During the visit, the Co-chairs met with the Head of Gali District Administration, Temur Nadaraia and Abkhazian Foreign Minister, Daur Kove.

• Anatoly Bibilov won the 9 April presidential election in South Ossetia. He replaced Leonid Tibilov on this post.
• A format of Geneva International Discussions (GID) on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus was introduced on the basis of the Russia-Georgia 12 August 2008 ceasefire agreement. The first round of talks was held on 15 October 2008. Thirty-nine rounds of talks in GID format have been held to date. The next, 40^th round of talks is scheduled for 20-21 June. Co-Chaired by the EU and OSCE, the Geneva talks bring together representatives of Tbilisi, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali, as well as the Russian and U.S. delegations. Official Tbilisi views the Geneva International Discussions as the only format that can ensure execution of the ceasefire agreement.