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Medvedev calls for direct talks to settle conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia

“I want everyone to hear that, including Georgian citizens,” Russian Prime Minister said

Photo ITAR-TASS/Yekaterina Shtukina

Photo ITAR-TASS/Yekaterina Shtukina

MOSCOW, August 7 (Itar-Tass) - The Georgia - South Ossetia conflict can be solved only on the site and only through direct contacts, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with Georgian TV channel Rustavi-2 on Tuesday.

“Such conflict can never be settled at other places, they are solved only on the site and only through direct contacts,” Medvedev said. “I want everyone to hear that, including Georgian citizens.”

He described the situation in Georgia as very one-sided. “The Georgian authorities keep on saying that they would in no event seek contacts with them [the South Ossetian authorities], and this is not right - not merely because it is all about a conflict between particular parties, in which we all have found ourselves to be dragged into, but because it is not right in principle,” the Russian prime minister stressed.

He once again reminded that “all the decisions about the competences are taken by the South Ossetian and Abkhazian authorities, so these questions should be addressed to them, even despite the fact that we have good relations and agreements with these authorities.” Medvedev stressed the necessity of launching direct talks. “Then, it will be possible to discuss everything - the movement of lines, and real humanitarian problems, and problems of refugees,” he added.

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