Ex-Commander of the Peacekeeping Forces in Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone appointed as Russia’s envoy to South Ossetia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Marat Kulakhmetov, ex-commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, as the RF Ambassador to South Ossetia.
A corresponding decree has been published on the Russian official Internet-portal for legal information.
Kulakhmetov will replace Elbrus Kargiev, Russia’s first envoy to South Ossetia, who’d headed the Russian diplomatic mission in Tskhinval since end of 2008. A new embassy complex in Tskhinval was put into operation during his term in office.
Marat Kulakhmetov was commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone in 2004-2008. Since 2011, he served as an advisor to the Russian Foreign Minister.
Tbilisi’s official reaction
“Any so-called appointment, which once again violates the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia as part of the so-called Russia’s recognition, is absolutely unacceptable for us. Therefore, this action certainly doesn’t have any legitimate and legal justification. In addition, the matter concerns a person who was directly involved in the 2008 developments. All that is a continuation of the political line pursued by Russia in the territory of Georgia,” Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, the Georgian State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, told journalists in Tbilisi.
