TSKHINVALI. Dec 3 (Interfax-AVN) - The situation in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone is stable but it is early and dangerous to speak about the withdrawal of peacekeepers or their replacement with law-enforcers, Prime Minister of the self- proclaimed South Ossetian Republic Stanislav Kochiyev told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
Kochiyev met with the new commander of the Mixed Peacekeeping Forces in the conflict zone, Major General Stanislav Nabzdorov, and asked him to maintain combat readiness among units in order to prevent an armed conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia.
According to Kochiyev, the forces can now use rich experience of the 201st division which is being stationed in Tajikistan and was led by Nabzdorov prior to his current appointment.
Kochiyev welcomed the meeting of the coordination center of Georgian and Ossetian law-enforcement bodies that is to happen in Tskhinvali in mid-December. Russian diplomats are expected to attend the mission, too. "Such contacts always help solve concrete problems and prevent conflicts," Kochiyev said.
The Mixed Peacekeeping Forces were deployed in the conflict zone in 1992. They number some 1,000 servicemen.