Russia/Georgia

Nato's war of words with Russia

Article published on the 2008-08-19 Latest update 2008-08-19 18:05 TU

Nato Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
(Photo : Reuters)

At an emergency summit in Brussels NATO foreign ministers said that they cannot "consider business as usual" with Russia and have called for Moscow to withdraw from Georgia immediately. The declaration followed talks in Brussels about the conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi over Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia.

 

"The Alliance is considering seriously the implications of Russia's actions for the Nato-Russia relationship," the statement said, read out by Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Meanwhile Russia accused Nato of bias and of trying to save what it called a criminal regime, in reference to Georgia. 

"It appears to me that Nato is trying to portray the aggressor as the victim, to whitewash a criminal regime and to save a failing regime," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference.

Russia's envoy to Nato has discussed the alliance's response to the conflict, saying the threats were just "empty words," according to Interfax news agency.

A ceasefire was signed at the weekend, with Moscow pledging to begin pulling back its troops on Monday, but sources say there has so far been little sign of any large-scale withdrawal.

Georgia dismissed the move as mere show.

 

The conflict broke out on 8 August, two days after Georgia launched an offensive to seize control of the Moscow-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia. Russian troops reacted by moving troops into South Ossetia and further into Georgia.