TBILISI, August 13. /TASS/. Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was directed by outside forces to take the risky actions that led the country to war in August 2008, the political council of the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia ruling party said in a statement.
"The majority of Georgian society justifiably doubts Saakashvili's competence. However, the fact is that Saakashvili's adventurous actions in August 2008 did not stem from mental instability, but were the result of outside instructions and well-planned betrayal," the text reads.
The Georgian ruling party emphasized that in order to establish long-term peace and stability in the country, it is vital to organize a public legal process so that society can once and for all find out "who committed this traitorous crime against the country and its people."
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on August 8 that the republic's authorities would turn to the prosecutor's office, the Constitutional Court or set up a parliamentary commission to investigate the circumstances of the 2008 war.
In August 2008, an armed Georgian-South Ossetian conflict erupted after Georgian troops attempted to seize control of Tskhinvali. On August 8, Russia deployed troops to protect Russian citizens as well as its peacekeepers stationed in the region. As a result, the Georgian forces retreated. On August 26, 2008, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.