Russia aiming to take over Georgia
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russia intends to take over his country to secure energy supply routes from central Asia and to begin ridding the region of democracies.
"They want the whole of Georgia," Mr Saakashvili said in an interview with Germany's Rhein-Zeitung newspaper.
"The Russians need control over energy routes from central Asia and the Caspian Sea," he said in the interview to be published in Rhein-Zeitung tomorrow.
"In addition, they want to get rid of us, they want regime change," he added. "Every democratic movement in this neighbouring region must be got rid of."
Mr Saakashvili said he had spoken to US President George W. Bush who had signalled his "full support".
"He understands that it's not really about Georgia but in a certain sense it's also an aggression against America," he told the paper.
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Sandro Pace
Aug 10th 2008, 23:20
South Ossetians are not really ethnic Russians, but 'naturalised' Russians. The Russian govt. gave them passports just to be seen helping Russians and gain some territory (insignificant).
All this havoc is for a small, resourceless region of just 80,000 people or so.
Christopher Camilleri
Aug 10th 2008, 23:11
@ M.Bugeja - Georgia has also used an excessive amount of force. They have reduced the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali to total ruin. The Russians responded with a tit-for-tat move. The destruction of Georgian towns are repaying the aggressor in 'kind'
M. Bugeja
Aug 10th 2008, 20:29
@C. Camilleri - That Russian 'ally' is technically a part of Georgia's territory, even though it Is comprised of mainly ethnic Russians. If it's within Georgia's borders, Russia had no right to have their peace keeping troops there in the first place.
Russia used a disproportionate amount of force, and should have kept the conflict to South Ossetia, if they really wanted to claim their intervention was legitimate. Rather, Russian air strikes against targets deep in Georgian territory show their other motives - that of dominance of the region, and that they won't tolerate any former Soviet satellites from undertaking any action which is not compatible with their own policies. Think of it as a warning to the Ukraine as well.
Christopher Camilleri
Aug 10th 2008, 18:44
Russia did the right thing after having it's ally attacked by the arrogant Georgian President. If i was the Russian President, I would now invade Georgia and remove Saakashivli from power.
Malcolm Seychell
Aug 10th 2008, 18:21
Saakashvili has been insulting Russia for ages now. He though that this would never happen, and when it happened the US will start war against Russia
Russia is a self sufficient country. It is Georgia who needs Russia and not Russia who needs Georgia.