"THERE ARE MARKED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE CONFLICTS”

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Both Russia and Georgia have ignored their commitments” CoE General Secretary Terry Devis told a press conference today.

With regard to the Russian-Georgian conflict he reiterated his words said at yesterday’s PACE session.

In general, Terry Devis disagrees to the wide-spread opinion that Georgia and South Ossetia have always had some unsettled conflicts. "Let me say immediately that I do not agree with those who say that there has always been conflict between Ossetians and Georgians. I know from my personal experience as a rapporteur for this Assembly that it was not true 10 years ago." The CoE General Secretary says it doesn’t matter which of the sides was the first to fire a weapon. Currently, the real issue now is not only how it happened and what happened but what we are going to do about it."

I support the territorial wholeness of the CoE member-states,” Mr. Devis said in view of Russia’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In reply to a Serb journalist’s question why the CoE General Secretary didn’t express the same opinion when Kosovo proclaimed unilateral independence, Terry Devis reminded that he hadn’t endorsed Kosovo’s unilateral independence. At the same time he noted that there are considerable differences between Kosovo and other conflicts. South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Karabakh greatly differ from Kosovo.

Karine Asatrian

Strasbourg