Question: It's been two years since Georgia's attack on South Ossetia. How do you assess the security situation in the region? Is there still any danger of a repetition of Georgian aggression?

Karasin: These were two difficult years, the years of reflection and sobriety. Thanks to coherent and coordinated actions by the Russian military and border guards with law enforcement and security agencies of Abkhazia and South Ossetia the situation on the borders of these two states with Georgia has stabilized considerably, and remains generally calm. From April 2009 to June 2010, not a single incident involving loss of life was recorded in the border areas. In early June, unfortunately, in Abkhazia's Gali district, two people were killed near the border – customs and local administration officers. Nevertheless, we can state that significant progress has been made in ensuring stability and security in the region. Incidentally, the leadership of the EU Observer Mission in Georgia is of the same opinion.

At the same time, if we look at it from a political vantage point, even to the uninitiated in the subtleties of Transcaucasian politics it is obvious that the Saakashvili regime has drawn practically no lessons from the events of two years ago. On the one hand, Georgian “strategists” have prepared a document outwardly purporting to develop normal relations with the Abkhaz and Ossetian peoples and calling for the peaceful resolution of outstanding issues. On the other hand, the Georgian leadership continues unbridled criticism of the “separatists,” obtusely refusing to face the truth and take into consideration the new realities in the region. The idea of the need to reintegrate now-sovereign Abkhazia and South Ossetia into a “unified” Georgian state is being purposefully foisted upon Georgian society. In international organizations, delegations from Tbilisi are actively pushing various projects aimed at preserving at least a semblance of the territorial integrity of Georgia within its previous borders. Such an intrinsically contradictory position leads to a deadlock. It will bring no practical results.

It is time for Georgian leaders to build normal good-neighborly relations with the Abkhaz and South Ossetians.

Question: Russia has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the ongoing rearmament of Georgia by certain states. Will it be possible to persuade the “sellers” to heed the voice of reason and not to provoke Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to new “feats”?

Karasin: It’s a fait accompli that albeit belatedly, but still a large part of the world community has learned in the end the truth about the events of August 2008 in South Ossetia, and that it was Saakashvili who gave a barbaric order to attack peaceful Tskhinval and shoot the South Ossetian population and Russian peacekeepers. In many ways, this was facilitated by the open and constructive stance of Russia’s leadership, aimed at cooperation with international partners, as well as by the EU Commission’s report published in the autumn of last year, which confirmed the fact of Georgia’s aggression against South Ossetia. There is no escaping this.

Today we can say that many previously active suppliers of arms to Georgia have reviewed the policy of the current leadership in Tbilisi and revised their approaches. But the problem is still far from being solved. A number of patrons of “Georgian democracy” are still trying under various pretexts to re-equip the pathetic warriors and enlist them in all sorts of international operations. Therefore, we continue to insist on imposing a broad international embargo on all deliveries of primarily offensive weapons and munitions to Georgia. Such a measure would greatly reduce the danger of recurrences of Georgian aggression.

Question: You regularly participate in the negotiations to resolve the situation in Transcaucasia. What most significant results have been achieved during the existence of this format, in your opinion? Are there any signals from the Georgian side of the readiness to start a direct dialogue with Abkhazia and South Ossetia in order to normalize the situation in the region?

Karasin: First of all, a good result is the very creation in October 2008 under the agreement between the Russian and French Presidents, of a Geneva format for international discussions on Transcaucasia. It enables the Abkhaz and South Ossetians to communicate directly with the representatives of Tbilisi and the other participants in the negotiations, including representatives of the UN, OSCE and EU. A weighty practical result was the establishment of the joint incident prevention and response mechanisms in the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-South Ossetian border areas. These real confidence building instruments at the local level also provide a good opportunity for the timely exchange of information and prevention of incidents involving representatives of the military and law enforcement agencies of all the parties. This work continues.
Answering the second part of your question, I’ll note that so far the Georgian side with great difficulty agrees to direct contacts with the representatives of Sukhum and Tskhinval. This is noticeable both at the Geneva discussions and in the political activism of the current Georgian administration. For example, today virtually all external efforts of Tbilisi are focused on pushing the so- called “strategy on occupied territories” and the action plan for its implementation. Its name speaks for itself. It is understandable that the Abkhaz and South Ossetians will never agree with such offensive terminology and the objectives of this document.

I have to sum up that so long as the Georgian leaders are in the grip of obsessive ideas of abstract reintegration, talk about bringing the peoples of Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia closer and restoring trust between them is hardly appropriate. Restoring lost trust is a time-consuming process that requires courage, hard decisions and statesmanship.

Question: Russia has given considerable assistance to the economies of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. How do you assess the economic situation in these republics at present? Is Russia planning to continue to assist them in carrying out specific economic projects?

Karasin: We see that the tasks of creating prerequisites with Russian assistance for the economic self-sufficiency of these young republics are coming to the fore in the activities of the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Central to their solution are the Comprehensive Plans of Assistance to the Socioeconomic Development of the republics.

South Ossetia is in greatest need of assistance. The problem of the restoration of housing and the entire network of communal services remains acute there. Important are educational projects, such as teaching people how to run private farms and small businesses, which could improve the employment situation in the republic. Relevant topics are the construction of educational and medical facilities, recycling and waste management, and the creation of a modern automobile transportation system.

Nevertheless, a lot has already been done with the support of our ministries and agencies. In general, a mechanism for managing the economic complex has been created. The problems of gas and heat supply, electrification, and highway repair have basically been solved. Tskhinval for the first time in decades spent the winter with heat, water and electricity.

For Abkhazia, the most pressing problems seem modernization of the transport infrastructure, particularly the railways, development of agriculture, the main market for which is Russia, restoration of power systems and recreational facilities, development of the tourist industry and service sector, and ecology. The key role in this is allotted to the Russian-Abkhaz intergovernmental commission on socioeconomic cooperation with Abkhazia, whose first meeting was held in March this year.

Question: What headway has been made with the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and how successfully is the cooperation of the young republics developing with the states that have already recognized them – Nicaragua, Venezuela?

Karasin: The activeness of Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s diplomacy in the international arena is impressive. For example, in 2009-2010 Abkhaz Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Gvindzhiya visited Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and Chile. The Republic of Nauru’s delegation, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Finance Kieren Keke, visiting Abkhazia and South Ossetia in December 2009, signed an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations with these Transcaucasian republics. In April 2010 Nicaragua’s Minister of Foreign Affairs made a visit to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In July, as you know, Presidents Sergei Bagapsh of Abkhazia and Eduard Kokoity of South Ossetia paid official visits to Nicaragua and Venezuela for the first time. There were fruitful talks there with Presidents Daniel Ortega and Hugo Chavez. The visits ended with the signing of impressive packages of bilateral agreements. In particular, agreements on establishing diplomatic relations, on the mechanism for political consultation, and cooperation framework agreements were signed with Venezuela. Those concluded by the republics with Nicaragua included general friendship and cooperation agreements, intergovernmental agreements on economic and trade cooperation and visa free travel agreements. The citizens of Abkhazia and South Ossetia now have the right to stay in Nicaragua without a visa for 90 days. In addition, Abkhazia signed an agreement on air and sea links with Nicaragua.

For its part, Russia is assisting Sukhum and Tskhinval in questions of the promotion of their international contacts. We hope that with the successful development of the young statehood of Abkhazia and South Ossetia the range of states that have recognized them will broaden.