OREANDA-NEWS. On August 20, 2008 President Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently in Sochi (Russian Federation), met with the presidents of South Ossetia and Abkhasia. The meeting took place at the initiative of the Abkhasian and South Ossetian sides, the Official website http://president.gov.by reported.

The Belarusian President detailed what preceded the August conflict in South Ossetia, "About seven years ago the President of Georgia proposed the CIS heads of state to lock Abkhasia in the "gorge", block it and virtually put its people, government, state, which was being established there, on the brink of catastrophe. Who was the first to say that that would not happen, that even if anything happened we would be the first to supply food to the people of Abkhasia? That was Belarus. I was categorically against signing that document proposed by Georgia, and it was not adopted at the meeting of the CIS heads of state. This is for history. As for the reaction of Russian officials, they did not have to excuse themselves. Although I am not the oldest President, but I am an old-timer among the heads of state of the Commonwealth, and all that was happening before my own eyes."

The Belarusian President said that "it was not the Russians that caused that conflict in Ossetia and Abkhasia; that was Georgia's problem, that was a dispute between peoples".

The President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoyta thanked the Belarusian President, "We very much appreciate your support, your condolences expressed to our people. People in South Ossetia know your position and we understand what pressure has been exerted on Belarus by the forces that organised the aggression. I should express my gratitude to both Belarusian people and the natives of Belarus who live in South Ossetia".

The President of Abkhasia, Sergei Bagapsh, also thanked the Belarusian President for the support of Belarus, for the firm and clear position of the Belarusian side in this issue. He also said, "neither Abkhasia, nor South Ossetia will be a part of Georgia, and nobody will make us stay there". Further on the relations with Georgia should be conducted "as relations between two independent states," the President of Abkhasia added.

At the end of the meeting, the Belarusian President gave instructions to send a group of Belarusian experts to Abkhasia and South Ossetia to analyse the situation on the ground and see what exactly kind of humanitarian aid should be supplied to these regions. Besides, the experts should come up with specific proposals to expand economic cooperation between Belarus, South Ossetia and Abkhasia.