TSKHINVALI. Jan 26 (Interfax-AVN) - Georgia is conducting military preparations to return South Ossetia to Georgia, Eduard Kokoity, president of the self-proclaimed republic, told Interfax- Military News Agency on Monday.
"All the accusations made by Tbilisi about South Ossetia being a channel used by smugglers and an area where crime is rampant is nothing other than an attempt to discredit the republic and justify possible aggression," Kokoity said.
"South Ossetia is ready to accept the challenge, but if Georgia's new president Mikhail Saakashvili pushes the parties towards resuming the armed conflict of 1989-1992, neither the Ossetian nor the Georgian people will forgive him for that. South Ossetia has the required capabilities, forces and means to defend itself," he said.
"Many representatives of brotherly North Caucasian republics have announced readiness to arrive in South Ossetia as volunteers in case the armed conflict is resumed," he added.
Commenting on new Georgian authorities' statements that it is necessary to restore territorial integrity of the nation, Kokoity noted that "being a part of Georgia is unacceptable for the South Ossetian people who have chosen independence."
"There will be no status for us within Georgia. Independence is the guarantee of the South Ossetian people's survival," he stressed.
South Ossetia, an autonomous republic of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, proclaimed independence in 1990.
"Georgia, which failed as a nation, has made no steps aimed at rapprochement with South Ossetia," the president went on.
"Unlike Russia, Georgia did not comply with its obligations to South Ossetia as far as provision of funds for conflict zone restoration is concerned," he said.
"Even Georgian residents of South Ossetia view Mikhail Saakashvili as a new Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgia's ex-president who started a war against Ossetians," he said.
Kokoity believes the new Georgian administration "has set up a special headquarters for discrediting South Ossetia and its president and for conducting subversive activities. In particular, they have an intention to arrange a mach of women and children at South Ossetia with the goal to raise a flag over our government buildings, but this is a serious act of provocation that may have uncorrectable consequences"
Saakashvili, in turn, told reporters that "at a societal level, there are no problems between Georgians and Ossetians. There are issues that need to be resolved with the Tskhinvali administration, which controls only this city, that is a population of 15,000 to 20,000."
"The main problem with South Ossetia is smuggling," he said.