News

Sergey Lavrov, head of the Russian MFA, has stated today that the European Union has become the basic guarantor of force non-use by Georgia against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A written notification on the fact was received by Presidents of Georgia and Russia Mikhail Saakashvili and Dmitri Medvedev.

David Gamkrelidze, leader of the oppositional Georgian Party named "New Right-Wingers", has stated that President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili should resign and appoint early presidential and parliamentary elections.

Levon Zurabyan, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), told journalists that telephones of the members of Levon Ter-Petrosyan's team have been secretly tapped since last September till today.

Russia has officially established diplomatic relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This fact was announced by Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia, at today's press conference in Moscow.

Today, the Stavropol Territorial Court has sentenced residents of Ingushetia Ruslan Kostoev and Zurab Tsuroev, accused of blowing up the "Pyatigorsk-Stavropol" bus at the bus station in the city of Nevinnomyssk on December 9, 2007, to 24 and 23 years of deprivation of freedom.

President of Czechia Vaclav Klaus has made Georgia responsible for the military conflict in the Caucasus, having accused it of attacking South Ossetia.

The Supreme Court of Karelia, where the trial on criminal case on Kondopoga disorders continues, has announced the results of the handwriting examination, which have confirmed the fact of falsification of some procedural documents.

Guram Kekeliya, a resident of Kutol village, was killed today in the frontier Gali District of Abkhazia. Journalists were informed about it by Laurence Kogoniya, head of the Gali ROVD (District Interior Department). As he said, the incident took place at 1:45 p.m. Moscow time; near the centre of Dikhazurga village Kekeliya was shelled from an ambush by a Georgian raiding unit.

In a month, Russian troops will be completely withdrawn from the territory of Georgia, said President of France Nicolas Sarkozy after negotiations with President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev.

Russian human rights activist urge the European community to promptly restore the rights of those persons who suffered from military actions in Georgia and South Ossetia.

Belarus will recognize Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's independence in the near future, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has stated.

Shalva Natelashvili, leader of the oppositional Labour Party of Georgia, has accused President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili of provoking the war in South Ossetia and advised him to resign voluntarily. According to Mr Natelashvili, "this power should grow an idea in their heads that their resignation will save the country."

At night on September 6, in Imereti Valley of Sochi, the authorities started civil works, illegal in the opinion of local residents, in the territory of a private household belonging to the Berezhkov family.

The UN International Court in The Hague has started three-day hearing of Georgia's claim against Russia.

Austria is studying the expediency of opening its embassies in the capitals of Georgia and Azerbaijan - Tbilisi and Baku. This was stated by Ursula Plassnik, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria, on September 5.

Today, the Apsheron District, Krasnodar Territory, held an official opening ceremony of a cemetery where German soldiers are buried. Their relatives took part in the ceremony.

Tomorrow, on September 7, a NATO delegation will arrive to Tbilisi, Revaz Beshidze, Georgia's representative in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, told journalists.

On September 5 was the deadline for presenting to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan of subscription lists in support of registration of candidates for the top country's post. Out of 21 applicants initially approved by the CEC only 10 have submitted their subscription lists.

President of Turkey has invited his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan to come to watch the football match of the two countries to be held in Turkey. Mr Sarkisyan has accepted the invitation.

Magomed Mutsolgov, a human rights activist from Ingushetia and leader of the Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization "Mashr", does not believe that Magomed Evloev, owner of the "Ingushetia.Ru" oppositional website, was fatally wounded as a result of a random shot.