OSCE Chairman-in-Office urges Russia and Georgia to prevent escalation in tension

NEW YORK, 13 September 2002 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz, continues to be deeply disturbed by the increasing tension between Georgia and the Russian Federation.

The Minister noted the letter by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, heads of State of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Heads of State or Government of the OSCE participating States, in which President Putin stated, inter alia, that "Russia may be forced to use the inalienable right to individual or collective defence."

President Putin added that "unless the Georgian leadership takes practical action to liquidate terrorists and if bandit raids continue to originate in its territory, Russia, while acting in strict compliance with the international law, shall take adequate measures to resist the terrorist threat".

Against this background and in accordance with the OSCE's responsibilities as a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, the OSCE Chairmanship has initiated urgent consultations with the parties involved, as well as with other OSCE participating States, in order to assist Georgia and the Russian Federation to reduce the existing tension..

The Chairman-in-Office called on the Russian Federation and Georgia to abstain from any action which might further increase tensions in the region and which might have grave consequences for the security and stability of the Caucasus and the whole of the OSCE area. He urged all parties to make full use of OSCE instruments to prevent an escalation in tension and resolve their differences.

The Chairman-in-Office expressed his conviction that the OSCE, including through the activities of its Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) in Georgia, will be able to help to restore confidence between the parties. The Chairmanship had already initiated a review of the current work of the BMO with a view to increasing the efficiency of its activities.