US diplomat Volker dismises media speculations, says Putin did not attack Georgia only because of rhetoric
Kurt Volker served as the US Ambassador to NATO during the Russia-Georgia 2008 war. Photo: CNN.
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US foreign policy expert Kurt Volker, who recently served as the US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, has responded to media speculations regarding his interview for Evropeiska Pravda, stating that former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s rhetoric was not the only reason why Putin attacked Georgia in 2008.
Volker, who served as the US Ambassador to NATO during the Russia-Georgia war, has tweeted:
Correct version: Putin did not attack #Georgia because of rhetoric. He wanted to block Georgia’s transatlantic integration. True - he was angered by rhetoric - but Russian aggression had its own causes. https://t.co/8IzvfTGBXQ
— Kurt Volker (@kvolker) February 19, 2020
After the Russia-Georgia war 20 per cent of Georgian territories has been occupied by Russia.
The country continues creeping occupation of the Georgian territory.
Diplomats and government officials from Europe took to Twitter this week to voice their support for Georgia's territorial integrity and condemn the ongoing Russian occupation of the country's regions on the 11th anniversary of the 2008 war.
Eleven years after the Russia-Georgia war the United Kingdom remains committed “to the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and a peaceful future for all”. The UK Ambassador to Georgia Justin McKenzie Smith released a statement on his official Twitter account both in English and Georgian.
The United States Acting Ambassador to Georgia Elisabeth Rood visited the settlement of Tserovani nearby the capital of Tbilisi, where internally displaced people (IDPs) have been living since the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. “In the 11 years since the Russian invasion of Georgia, each of these houses has come to tell a story of loss – the loss of families, friends, homes, and loved ones”, she said
Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia has unveiled a monument to those who lost their lives in the 2008 August War today. The monument was installed in the village of Nikozi, near the Russia - occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region at the request of local residents.