He criticised Russia for its effort to install its representatives in the former Soviet countries. "There is a big political crisis in Ukraine and Russia has issued more passports in the Crimea than for the inhabitants of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
I do not think we should be blind," Saakashvili said. A similar position was voiced by Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar in Washington earlier this week. Pojar warned German Business Leaders Oppose Sanctions Against Russia ...
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Russia warns Georgia over troop detention ... that with its invasion of Georgia Russia had tested the capabilities of the West. "Russia cannot select the leading representatives of Georgia. Russia wants to achieve the situation in which it will not only dominate [the neighbouring area], but also select the leading representatives of the neighbouring countries. We want to prevent this," Saakashvili said. "What was Russia's right to come in a foreign country with arms in hands?" Saakashvili said. He refused to comment on the view by his Czech counterpart President Vaclav Klaus that Saakashvili and his government and parliament were mostly to blame for the crisis in Caucasus. "I do not want to comment on the statement by the senior Czech politician. At least he recognises that we have a government, a president, a parliament. This means we are a democratic country that can decide democratically," Saakashvili said. "This is not the decision of a single authoritarian leader," he added. Saakashvili appreciated the position of former president Vaclav Havel, Klaus's predecessor. Havel has condemned Russian steps in Georgia. EU foreign ministers have agreed that an international observer mission should be sent to Georgia. "I have always called for international investigation," Saakashvili said. "I want to investigate what happened in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We seek maximum transparence, responsibility and maximum amount of information, not of disinformation. New dictators in Europe can only be averted by truth and transparency," he told CT.
(Ceske Noviny)
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