Council of Europe's Secretary General highly assesses Russia's role in settlement of Caucasian conflicts

RIA Novisti, 16 April 2005

TBILISI, April 16 (RIA Novosti)—Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terri David highly assesses Russia's role in the settlement of conflicts in the Caucasus.

Russia is criticized because it can do more to settle the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia but let us express not only criticism, Davis said at a press conference in Tbilisi. Russia played a serious constructive role during the ‘rose revolution’ and subsequent events in Adzharia and its services should not be ignored, he noted

My objective approach to the situation and positive assessments of Russia's role in the settlement of these conflicts give me the right to call Russia for a more constructive and consistent policy and role in the settlement of conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Chechnya, Davis stressed.

According to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, he comes out against any forms of separatism and backs territorial integrity of Georgia and Russia. Georgia and Russia are friends of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis emphasized.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are self-proclaimed republics on Georgian territory. Their conflicts with Georgia broke out in the mid-1990s when Georgia deprived these republics of their autonomous status and imposed tough punitive measures after their unilateral declaration of independence. Peacekeeping forces control the situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Adzharia is an autonomy in Georgia.