Georgian DM: “We are really in a state of war with Russia”

Nobody in the Georgian government takes seriously the Kavkazskiy Rubezh-2006 (Caucasian Line 2006) military exercise conducted by Russia near Georgian borders; Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili stated on air at Free Topic talk show of Rustavi-2 TV Channel, REGNUM correspondent reports. The minister recalled that "such maneuvers were conducted during Tskhinvali events in 2004, and nothing special occurred then, too."

"Nobody believes that armed forces which are used during the maneuvers will be ever used by Russian government to occupy Georgia - if even such an attempt is made, it will be disastrous to them," Okruashvili asserted, arguing that the Russian side needed such maneuvers in order "to consolidate Tskhinvali society and Abkhazian residents," to strengthen "myths" on Georgian side's suspected intentions to begin hostilities in South Ossetian and Abkhazian conflict zones, and to support "their regimes of Kokoity and Bagapsh."

According to the minister, "Georgia is really in a state of war in Russia." "It is an everyday propaganda war; at which, till now, we have not lost any serious battle," he emphasized. Okruashvili said Russian repeated allegations of proposed Georgian assualt in South Ossetian conflict zone during the last two months are "becoming degenerate."

Also, he explained that Georgia strengthens and trains its army because "every ambitious nation, every ambitious country needs a military."

Okruashvili declared that, after Georgian parliament adopted a resolution on withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping forces, "Russians will try to demonstrate to the international community that the decision made by Georgians was wrong and provocative; they will do the utmost in this regard, not hesitating to provoke." Irakli Okruashvili claimed the two explosions in Tskhinvali which happened before the G8 meeting were "the evidence" of it.

In particular, he claimed that the first terrorist attack victim (South Ossetian Security Council Secretary Oleg Alborov) was a "man with more or less pro-Georgian orientation". Then he observed that "an error" occurred during the second explosion: "A person survived who is one of most bloody personages in Tskhinvali" (a South Ossetian MP, well-known militant commander Bala Bestayev). "Those actions were aimed at justifying the (Russians') myth introduced from the very beginning; Georgians were alleged to begin hostilities before the G8 summit in order to discredit Putin," the minister uttered.