Russia agrees to ceasefire in Georgia
Washington, 12 August (IranVNC)—Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered his country’s forces to stop military actions in Georgia today, after five days of violent conflict aimed at “punishing” Tbilisi, an objective that Medvedev says, has been achieved, Reuters reports.
By: IranVNC
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
10:41GMT—6:41AM/EST
RUSSIA – GEORIGIA – WAR – CEASEFIRE
Washington, 12 August (IranVNC)—Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered his country’s forces to stop military actions in Georgia today, after five days of violent conflict aimed at “punishing” Tbilisi, an objective that Medvedev says, has been achieved, Reuters reports.
President Medvedev instructed Russia’s Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyuko to “stop the operation to force Georgian authorities to peace,” reports Reuters.
“The aim of the operation has been achieved,” said Medvedev in a televised announcement. “The aggressor has been punished and has suffered very considerable losses.”
The military conflict erupted last week when Georgia, a close US ally, launched an offensive to reclaim the pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, which seceded from Georgia in 1992.
Moscow immediately executed a counter-offensive in a conflict that has reportedly left over 2,000 people dead, AP reports.
Georgian officials maintained that Russia’s military has continued to bomb the country despite Medvedev’s order to halt the war.
According to Reuters, Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said he is looking for more evidence of the Russian ceasefire and would be “prepared for everything” until a formal peace deal was signed.
President George W. Bush said yesterday at the White House that Russia’s invasion of Georgia was “unacceptable in the 21st century,” and called for an “immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of forces from the zone of conflict, a return to the military status quo as of August 6th, and a commitment to refrain from using force.”
Bush went on to say that Russia must respect Georgia’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty,” and that Russia’s military actions have “substantially damaged Russia’s standing in the world. And these actions jeopardize…Russia’s relations with the United States and Europe.”
The five-day war has rocked the West and the international oil market. The announcement of the ceasefire was made ahead of Medvedev’s meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was in Moscow to help broker a peace deal between the two sides.
“We must draw up a rapid calendar so that each side can go back to the positions of before the crisis,” said Sarkozy.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, White House website
©IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.