‘They Want the Whole of Georgia’

Full responsibility?
Well, do not quote me quoting here. They certainly bear responsibility. Nobody has ever blamed this on us. Anybody who has knowledge--the Americans, for instance, who have been monitoring this all the time, said that it was clearly started by South Ossetia. We responded to a land invasion of our territory.

You suggest that the aggression is not against Georgia but against NATO?
That's what Putin clearly told me in February. That in response to Kosovo's independence and NATO expansion, he would have to take measures. And Putin said that I shouldn't worry, it's not against us, it's against them, but the measures could be taken against us. Something like that.

What obligations does NATO or the United States have in assisting you now?
I think they have primarily moral obligation, and they have obligation to speak with a united voice to stop Russian aggression. Primarily, first of all, to have a united voice. It's not about calling both sides to exercise restraint. You know, our people are dying. And the last thing we want is to continue this game. To get from Tskhinvali to Tbilisi is just one and a half hours for a tank.

And do you believe the Russians will move beyond the so-called border of the separatist regions?
Absolutely. Because there is no border in the first place. Because they also came into Abkhazia for no reason. Because they bombed communications that have nothing to do with this particular situation. And they've always been after us here. They couldn't care less about South Ossetia. President Putin told me the first time I met him he had never heard about South Ossetia.

Why now?
Because Russia believes that America is weak. Because they see that Europe is frightened of them. Because they think that they are awash with oil money.

If it comes to an all-out fight, what's your assessment of your ability to resist?
We have 50,000 reservists, and they all have weapons, and there is plenty of ammunition. And we are calling back our Army brigade from Iraq. It all depends on many circumstances. This is war, you can never predict it. We still have the smallest army in the region. But we always believed in a small but professional army. The fact that we can shoot down planes speaks for itself. We shot down 10 Su-27s--this is more warplanes than the Russians lost in the whole Chechen war.

What does this mean for your hopes of joining NATO?
This is not about Georgia's aspirations to join NATO. It's about the survival of Georgia.

Are you really expecting a full invasion of Georgia proper?
This is an invasion of Georgia. Yes, I believe that Russia's private purpose is to take over Georgia. They need Georgia. They need control of energy routes from Central Asia and the Caspian. They need seaports. They need our transportation infrastructure. And primarily, they want to get rid of us. They want to make regime change. And they want to get rid of any democratic movement in this part of their neighborhood. That's it, period.

Any chance for a negotiated settlement?
We are looking to Europe and the U.S. Russia has broken every possible rule of behavior. But Russia depends heavily on Europe in many respects. And on the United States. Russia is behaving like a rogue state. It is not mainstream behavior for anybody.

© 2008