On 20 April 2008 at 09:53.31 local time a MIG-29 "Fulcrum” Russian fighter jet shot down an unarmed Georgian reconnaissance drone (UAV) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs over Georgian territory.

The Government of Georgia strongly condemns the act of aggression that took place on 20 April 2008 in Georgia.  This act endangers the maintenance of peace and proves unequivocally that Russia is not a neutral party or facilitator of the negotiation process aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia.  Rather, the Russian Federation represents a party to the conflict disregarding the vital interests of the peaceful population of the region. 

According to simultaneous NATO-standard radar data released by the Georgian Ministry of Defense, the Russian aircraft took off from an illegally occupied airport in Gudauta, Georgia at 09:48 and following the act of aggression returned northward, entering Russian airspace at 10:06.

Georgia has released high quality video footage of the unprovoked attack which clearly identifies the aircraft as Russian.

This act violates Paragraph 4, Article 2 of the UN Charter prohibiting the use of force against the territorial integrity of any State. Furthermore, this act constitutes an "act of aggression” under Annex, paragraph b, Article 3 of the 1974 UN General Assembly Resolution on Definition of Aggression, according to which the use of any weapons by a State against the territory of another State is an act of aggression. 

The presence of a fighter aircraft at the Gudauta air base is in direct violation of the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Commitments requiring the Russian Federation to close and withdraw the Gudauta military base and contradicts repeated statement of the Russian Federation the aforesaid military base is closed, withdrawn and non-operational.

The Russian Federation has therefore begun an alarming military build-up in the conflict region.

Notwithstanding video, radar and eyewitness accounts that the act of aggression was conducted by a Russian fighter jet, rebel separatist leaders have claimed credit for shooting down the Georgian UAV. In the framework of the 1994 Agreement on the Cease-Fire and Separation of Forces, such an action would constitute a clear violation.

This act of aggression follows escalating measures taken by the Russian Federation, in particular the withdrawal from the CIS decision of 1996 on regulating economic relations and restricting military cooperation with the separatist regime, as well as the decision of the President of the Russian Federation of 16 April 2008 ordering the Russian government to cooperate directly with the secessionist regimes on the territory of Georgia, without approval of the Government of Georgia.

The recent steps of the Russian Federation are clearly directed toward the annexation of a part of sovereign territory of Georgia.

Unlike Russia, the Government of Georgia reconfirms its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the conflicts on its territory, with full consideration of interests of the population of the regions, once again demonstrated through the new peace initiatives introduced by President M. Saakashvili on 28 March and 12 April 2008.

The Government of Georgia urges the Russian Federation:

·        To immediately reverse the decision of the President V. Putin of 16 April 2008 that directly undermines territorial integrity of Georgia and violates basic norms of the international law;

·        To return in the framework of the CIS decision of 1996 and other international agreements, in particular, the UN Security Council Resolution 876 (1993).

·        To suspend the military built-up of the separatist regimes.

Tbilisi, 21 April 2008