Russia accuses the US of encouraging Georgia to oppose it
The US leadership did not fully realize the extent of its responsibility in promoting Georgia's anti-Russian sentiment.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich made the above criticism on June 6 following a statement made by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit to the city of Batumi, Georgia.
Tanks participating in the war in South Ossetia in 2008. (Photo taken from Youtube clip)
Mrs. Clinton has stated that Washington plans to continue to cooperate with Georgia in the defense sector and support the country in joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia's Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions.
According to Mr. Lukashevich, the fact that high-ranking US leaders made statements in support of President Mikhail Saakashvili, who spread false allegations that Russia "occupied" Georgia, "warmed up" Tbilisi's desire for revenge, showing that Washington had not learned the necessary lessons from the five-day war that took place in 2008 in South Ossetia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that strongly encouraged by the US and some Western countries with promises to admit Georgia into NATO and massively supplied with foreign weapons, Tbilisi acted "indiscriminately and irresponsibly" when conducting a military adventure in South Ossetia, taking the lives of hundreds of civilians and Russian soldiers on peacekeeping missions there.
After the five-day war in 2008, Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway entities of Georgia./.
According to (Vietnam+) - DT
