Embassy Events
Ambassador Obsitnik: Stick to Cease-fire Agreement and Allow Aid to Reach Those in Need
August 19, 2008
Responding to the recent conflict in the Caucasus, Ambassador Vincent Obsitnik said in a commentary published in Slovak business daily newspaper "Hospodárske noviny" on August 18 that the violence in Georgia must end, the killing must stop, and each side should sit down at the negotiating table. Even though the exact number of dead and wounded is still unknown, wrote Ambassador Obsitnik, it is clear that the people of Georgia are facing a humanitarian crisis from the destruction left behind. He went on to commend Slovakia’s generous offer of €186,000 worth of assistance to be sent to war-torn Georgia along with aid from the EU. Russia has put its international reputation and aspirations at risk, he concluded, by taking actions in Georgia inconsistent with the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity fundamental to global stability; Russia must now keep its word to fulfill terms of the cease-fire agreement and act to end this crisis quickly and justly.