OREANDA-NEWS. January 16, 2009. The continuing gas blockade of South Ossetia by Georgia in the conditions of a severe winter has, at last, got into the field of vision of international organizations. It will be recalled that on the very first day of the Georgian aggression, that is, on August 8 last year, Tbilisi stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory towards Tskhinval.

After the almost half-year silence of international organizations the Special Representative of the new, Greek, OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office, Charalampos Christopoulos, visited the region, accompanied by experts on gas problems. The wish to sort things out and help find a solution to the problem can only be welcomed.

The visit on January 13 to South Ossetia with the inspection of the branch of the gas pipeline that runs across the territory of the republic gave the OSCE diplomats and specialists an opportunity to make certain that the pipe on South Ossetian territory is in perfect working order. This is notably a mere seven-kilometer section of the pipeline from the Georgian border to Tskhinval, which took just a couple of hours to inspect.

The leadership of South Ossetia correctly refers to the solely political tilt of the anti-humane action of Tbilisi in depriving the Republic’s population of a source of heat and energy, especially as many buildings remain half-destroyed as a result of the August actions of the Georgian military.

Russia has repeatedly at different international forums and in contacts with western partners sharply raised the question of the inadmissibility of Georgia’s continuing gas stranglehold over South Ossetia. Our position is based not only on the humanitarian aspect of the question, but also on the findings of Gazprom specialists who carried out in October last year – that is, after combat actions within the territory of the Republic – preventive maintenance work on the South Ossetian section, and confirmed pipe intactness.

We expect from the representative group of OSCE specialists working in the region an objective assessment of the state of affairs, and the exertion of influence on the Georgian authorities to end this inhumane action. Equally crucial is the promptitude of decisions to be taken, as it is already mid-January and shifting the problem onto the path of discussions until the onset of spring will be simply immoral.