UNiFEED Story: UN / RUSSIA (3.04), Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin comments on the latest statement by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that the country has formally recognized the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent. UNTV

26 August 2008

UN / RUSSIA (3.04)

Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin comments on the latest statement by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that the country has formally recognized the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent. UNTV

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Full Script

STORY: UN / RUSSIA 
TRT: 3.04
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 26 AUGUST 2008, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters

26 AUGUST 2008, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Ambassador Churkin at podium at press conference
3. Med shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
"We passed on this letter to the office of the Secretary-General at four o'clock in the morning. A diplomat from our mission arrived to the office and passed it on to the officer on duty. At around noon Moscow time, the decrees on the recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were signed by President Medvedev."
5. Wide shot, audience
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
"On August 12, President Medvedev and President Sarkozy announced the six principles, which contained a direct reference to the starting of international discussions on the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Then it was dropped. We had to agree to dropping it because that was request from President Sarkozy, and clearly, it was something which was a good advice to Mr. Saakashvili by I think his American advisors or whoever, that it was not a good thing to have this discussion on the future status. So there they were the ones who immediately started working away from this diplomatic opportunity."
7. Wide shot, audience
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
"This is not on the agenda. What is on the agenda now, and in fact President Medvedev points it out in the decree he signed on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, what we are going to do now, is to have proper talks. Our foreign ministry has been instructed to talk with the relevant Abkhazian and South Ossetian authorities to work out an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations, and secondly the foreign ministry has been instructed by the President to work out a treaty on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between Russia and - Abkhazia, Russia and South Ossetia."
9. Med shot, audience
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
"I would not be if I were you holding breath in expectation that Russia is going to recognize Kosovo. This is not going to happen. But we are pointing out that there's going to be precedent for all those who want independence and that I think also reinforced the desire of the people in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to attain their independence. I mean we were resisting all sorts of pressures, but the pressure and sort of wave of history became very clear and unavoidable after this military adventure of Saakashvili against South Ossetia."
11. Med shot, audience
12. Wide shot, Ambassador Churkin speaking at press conference

STORYLINE:

The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations briefed the press at UN Headquarters on today's decision by the Russian President to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told journalists that a letter regarding the recognition of the independence of two regions was delivered to the office of the Secretary-General shortly before President Medvedev signed the decree in Moscow at noon local time today (26 August).

After reading out the text of a statement by the Russian foreign ministry explaining the move, Ambassador Churkin took questions from journalists.

In response to a question on Russia's adherence to the six-point plan agreed between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and later accepted by the Georgian side, he said that a "diplomatic opportunity" had been missed when a reference to international discussions on the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was "dropped" at the request of President Sarkozy, adding that "clearly, it was something which was a good advice to Mr. Saakashvili by I think his American advisors or whoever".

Asked about Russia's reaction should the breakaway regions wish to be "annexed" by Russia, Ambassador Churkin said "this is not on the agenda". He said  the Russian "foreign ministry has been instructed to talk with the relevant Abkhazian and South Ossetian authorities to work out an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations" and to "work out a treaty on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance" between Russia and Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Asked whether the move was "tit-for-tat" for the recognition of Kosovo's independence, which Russia opposes, by several European countries and the United States, he began by saying that one should not hold one's "breath in expectation that Russia is going to recognize Kosovo. This is not going to happen". He said Kosovo had created a "precedent for all those who want independence" and had "reinforced the desire of the people in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to attain their independence." He added that Russia had shown "remarkable patience" on the issue despite "all sorts of pressures", but that following Georgia's use of force against South Ossetia "the pressure and sort of wave of history became very clear and unavoidable".

A statement issued today by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson noted that the question of recognition of states is a matter for sovereign states to decide. It also reiterated the Secretary-General's call to fully implement the six-point plan.

The statement said that today's developments may have wider implications for security and stability in the Caucasus, and that the Secretary-General regrets that ongoing efforts to find a common solution on the way forward in the crisis in Georgia within the Security Council may be complicated.

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