MOSCOW. Aug 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev thanked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his mediation in settling the August 2008 crisis in the Caucasus in a letter he sent to him on the first anniversary of the events, the Kremlin press service reported on Saturday morning.
Medvedev said that Sarkozy's active personal involvement "played a great role in settling the Georgian-South Ossetian crisis" and maintained that he attaches special significance to continuing dialogue regarding ways to maintain stability in the region.
"Russia fulfilled its obligations under these documents back in October last year. We value the fact that the European Union is also honoring the agreements, and we are basically contented with the activity of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia. At the same time, it is regrettable that we failed to agree upon conditions under which the OSCE's and UN's missions could have continued their work in the region. We believe that chances to find appropriate formulas to continue the activity of these crucial international institutions still exist," he said.
"The main goal today is to ensure stable peace and security in the South Caucasus in the interests of all peoples living there without any exception," Medvedev said.
"The Russian military and border guard contingents have been deployed in South Ossetia and Abkhazia exactly for this purpose. In line with bilateral agreements that we signed with these sovereign republics, everything possible will be done to maintain stability in the region and reliably protect the civilian population," Medvedev said.
"However, Georgia's actions, such as the unending threats to use force to restore its territorial integrity, routine militant rhetoric, the concentration of armed forces near the borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, or serious provocations in the border areas, cause our serious concerns," he said.
In this connection, Medvedev called for "concluding binding agreements on the non-use of force between Georgia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia as soon as possible." These documents "should contain clear security guarantees for the peoples of South Ossetia and Abkhazia."
Medvedev is also confident that all countries should "refrain from supplying weapons and military hardware to Georgia for a long period of time."