Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Georgia has expressed its regret over what is described as Moscow's having stepped up provocative actions aimed at destabilizing the situation on its soil, despite the positive trends in economic and humanitarian areas.

According to a statement of the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the Russian side has resumed creating barbwire and trenches along the border with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, another breakaway region, in a move that was deemed a gross violation of international law and human rights.

"The expansion of the area, the construction of fences and barriers by the Russian side on the territories of Georgia violates Georgia's sovereignty, its territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders, and is a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008," the Foreign Ministry's statement reads.

Tbilisi blamed the Russian military for not allowing hundreds of thousands of ethnic cleansing victims to safely return to their homes. It said that moreover, Russia continues to make an effort for the recognition of the independence of the Georgian regions by other countries using political, military and economic leverage.

However, the Foreign Ministry said the Georgian government supports a peaceful settlement of the conflict through negotiations and on the basis of fundamental principles of international law.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, urged Georgia to have the courage to sit down at the negotiating table with South Ossetia to address the backlog of issues, including refugees and non-use of force.

At the fifth anniversary of the conflict in South Ossetia Medvedev gave an interview to the Georgian TV channel Rustavi 2.

Asked to comment on the notion that Russia is the main problem on the way to the refugees' return to the territory of South Ossetia, the prime minister said that this is an internal problem between Georgia and South Ossetia.

"Unfortunately, this problem has deep historical roots," Medvedev said. "We would like for it to be resolved. That is why I think that direct talks are needed, otherwise, it is impossible to do it."

Georgia and Russia, its giant northern neighbor, have maintained no diplomatic relations since a brief war in 2008. Tbilisi broke off relations with Moscow in August 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.