MOSCOW. Aug 7 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia will continue to protect Russians abroad regardless of their country of residence, the leaders of Russia's leading parties said before the anniversary of the events in South Ossetia.
"We will continue to operate under the assumption that every citizen of the Russian Federation should be sure that Russia will not leave them in trouble. Russia will continue to stand up to defend its historical positions, regardless of the country of residence," a joint statement signed by United Russia Supreme Council Chairman Boris Gryzlov, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, and Fair Russia Chairman Sergei Mironov.
The party leaders said in their statement that, despite differences in their programs and political views, they are "convinced that international conflicts should be resolved solely in a legal manner based on the basic principles of the UN, by peaceful ways without encroachments on people's lives and dignity."
In August 2008, the Georgian administration violated the norms of international law by perpetrating an act of military aggression against the people of South Ossetia and against the Russian peacekeepers in the republic, says the document.
"The Georgian military command on the orders of the president launched a large-scale operation using all types of modern weapons, as a result of which hundreds of people were killed in South Ossetia. Several villages were wiped off the face of the earth and thousands of people were left without food and shelter," says the document.
The authors of the statement expressed regret about the fact that "some countries and state political leaders have still not realized the need for the decision made by Russia to stop Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia."
"Despite the gigantic efforts made by the Russian administration and all parliamentary parties without exception, many countries have not publicly given an objective evaluation to the actions taken by the Georgian administration, which unleashed the war," says the statement.