Tbilisi: The US foreign and national security expert and former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker on Sunday stated Russia’s imperialist wars against its neighbours didn’t start in Ukraine. It actually began in Georgia, and we cannot simply forget that Russia is still in Georgia.
During his visit to the occupation line on Tbilisi-administrated territory, Volker emphasized upon illegal borderisation. He stated that it was “very important” to remind that illegal ‘borderisation’ – the periodic shifting of the de-facto boundary by the Russian occupation forces- has still been prevalent in Georgia.
The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has shifted the focus of the people towards Ukraine. But as per the former NATO Ambassador, Russia’s imperialist wars had actually begun in Georgia, back in 2008 as Russia occupied a part of Moldova. They have been even more brutal now in Ukraine.
Russia have been seizing even more territories in Ukraine since the invasion. This is all interconnected, it is part of one whole. Russia is still present in Georgia and this cannot be simply overlooked, Volker told the media.
The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 had led to the Russian occupation of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, and it has still been a sensitive zone.The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a major concern for the adjacent countries as well as it poses a major threat to their security.