Transcripts
Close Window
DAS Bryza speaks at his September 17, 2008 press conference at the U.S. Embassy
DAS Bryza Press Conference at U.S. Embassy in Georgia
September 17, 2008
DAS Bryza Statement:
Thank you for coming out here. On a day that feels much better than last time I stood at this podium because the situation has changed, though it is still quite serious. For once, today I will be brief.
It is time for Russia to fulfill the obligations that its own president has committed to, now repeatedly, to the French President and to the entire international community. Russia needs to pull out all its forces out of Georgia that it brought in after August 6. It needs to fulfill the first point of the agreement between Presidents Medvedev and Sarkozy which is… well actually its the third point … which is to allow unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance to South Ossetia. It needs to live up to its years and years of commitments, including under numerous UN Security Council Resolutions, to Georgia’s territorial integrity.
No matter how much Russian officials wish to pretend that Kosovo and South Ossetia are similar or the same we have to remember that they are fundamentally different and there is no justification at all for any of Russia’s recent actions.
The recent armed conflict or war between Russia and Georgia did not begin on August 7, it began long before that. It is nice to see that now in the international community people are taking another look at what actually happened on August 7 and before. Georgia did not commit genocide and there were not 2 000 South Ossetians that were killed during the operations. But on the contrary Russia’s military that is now occupying South Ossetia is failing to prevent serious violations of human rights that a variety of reputable international organizations and individuals are reporting. Human Right Watch has reported ethnic attacks and ethnic based persecutions. Ethnic attacks and ethnic based persecutions conducted by South Ossetia irregular forces in areas where Russia claims it is in control. Russia and the Russian armed forces have the responsibility to make sure that such attacks do not happen, to make sure that internally displaced persons can return and to make sure when they do return they are safe.
Finally, going back to a point I made in the beginning, Russia has a the responsibility to make sure that humanitarian assistance and people who can analyze the human right situation can gain access to South Ossetia as well as to Abkhazia. Russia’s refusal to allow human rights observers access to raises serious questions about why that is. Finally make no doubt that the support of the United States and our European allies for Georgia is deep, and is profound and is concrete and is reflected in our assistance programs and in our diplomacy.
Thank you. I welcome any questions.
Question 1, Tamuna Chavchavadze, Rustavi 2 Television:
Russian politicians are saying that the American government will replace the Georgian government. There are some rumors that maybe it has already happened and two candidates are named to replace the President - Nino Burjanadze and Irakli Alasania.
DAS Bryza Answer 1:
That is a fascinating and ridiculous theory. We support a democratic Georgia as a country that can play an enormously important strategic role in this region precisely because it is democratic. Georgia still has a lot of work to do to strengthen its democratic institutions, of course we know that is true. It is up to the Georgian people, not any foreign country, to decide what the political future of this country will be. There is a constitution, there is a developing democratic culture, there are developing democratic institutions, and that’s the way the future of the country must be determined.
Sometimes I am impressed by how creative my colleagues are in Russia who seem to fear democracy. They come up with fantastic theories to try to undermine the democratically elected government here and elsewhere and I don’t know how else even more strongly, categorically to reject that theory.
Question 2, Helena Bedwall, Bloomberg:
Mr. Bryza you are familiar with the latest findings from the Ministry of the Interior regarding the day before, the Russian troops moved up the Roki tunnel. Well, those are very interesting findings, of course. Do you really think the charge will be used someday? And also if the findings will be proven as right in the future, what do you think will be the impact they will have, or let’s say roughly, who would care?
DAS Bryza, Answer 2:
I’m a diplomat, I’m not an expert on intelligence analysis, I have to rely on others to evaluate the veracity or the truth of any such information. We’ve got some excellent such experts in our government and I look forward to their findings. I know that what was in this latest article reflects what I was hearing from very senior Georgian officials on the night of August the 7th. They seemed to be making decisions based on the genuine belief that what is in those reports was true, that Russia had already moved through the Roki tunnel before Georgia launched the attack on Tskhinvali. So we reacted accordingly.
We’ll see whether or not these bits of information and transcripts are proven and seen to be accurate, but regardless of the outcome of that investigation, as I already said, we know that this conflict did not begin on August the 7th when Georgia moved against Tskhinvali. It began a long time ago when Russia first moved heavy military equipment into Java, in the summer of 2004. It continued in 2005, when it was determined that Russian personnel were involved in bombing in Gori, as you recall, and other such actions, terrorist actions. It continued in early August when South Ossetian so-called “peacekeepers” were firing at Georgian villages and peacekeepers, from positions behind Russian peacekeepers and under the command of Russian officers who were being loaned to the de facto government of South Ossetia. Thank you.
Question 3, Jeff Schafer, Associated Press:
Two questions. I’d like to know is the United States considering in any way military support for the Georgian government. My other question is if you have any reaction to the Iranian Foreign Minister being in town to meet with the President today.
DAS Bryza Answer 3:
President Bush announced back on August 13th or 14th, in his declaration during the armed conflict that the United States will help Georgia rebuild its military in the right time. But that time is not right now. All of the assistance that we have provided so far has been 100% purely humanitarian despite the creative use of information that we’ve heard from our Russian colleagues. The one billion dollar assistance program that Secretary Rice announced about ten days ago is purely economic and humanitarian aid aimed at addressing humanitarian problems, at reconstructing the damage caused by the Russian military operations, and at sustaining and restoring economic growth.
On the Iranian Foreign Minister’s visit, I don’t know much because I just learned of this maybe an hour or so ago. What is clear is that the United States is increasingly active and engaged in a profound way in the South Caucasus as we have seen recently, and perhaps it is interesting that Iran feels that it has to follow our lead. But our friendship with Georgia is deep, it is based on shared values and common strategic interests and we will move forward together in that sphere.
Maybe one last question now.
Question 4, Zaza Gachechiladze, The Messenger newspaper:
What kind of concrete steps is the international community taking to prevent a similar kind of scenario from developing in the Ukraine?
DAS Bryza Answer 4:
Well first of all we should make clear and expose the kind of statements that have come out of some quarters of Moscow saying that Russia reserves the right to intervene in the Ukraine, or anywhere in protection of Russian citizens, or should I say Russian passport holders. That is a policy of 18th century and 19th century Czarist Russia, and as my Secretary of State has said repeatedly if Russia wishes to be accepted in the institutions of the 21st century it must behave in that way.
Secondly, what we are doing as an international community is of course rallying behind our support for Ukraine, for democratically elected governments, and for our right and obligation to pursue the full set of strategic interests of the Euro-Atlantic community anywhere, anywhere, period. Reflecting the will of countries stretching from Kazakhstan, through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, together the Euro-Atlantic community is accelerating its cooperation with all of those countries on our shared interests in energy, security, and in the advancement of democracy.
Thank you for coming, I hate to leave. Thank you.
