At UN Court, Russia rejects Georgia's accusations of ethnic cleansings in South Ossetia

Russia has stated at the International Court of Justice of the United Nations in The Hague that Georgia has falsified charges of ethnic cleansings in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2008.

On September 13-17, the Court of Justice is holding hearings on Georgia's claim against Russia, where the latter is accused of conducting ethnic cleansings and violating the International Convention of 1965 on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The schedule of the forthcoming hearings assumes two rounds: representatives of Russia speak at the Court on September 13 and 15, those of Georgia - on September 14 and 17.

Kirill Gevorgyan, director of the legal department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and Roman Kolodkin, Russia's ambassador in the Netherlands, have been appointed Russia's agents at the hearings.

Mr Kolodkin believes that the Georgia's claim is "continuation of the war by other means." "The documents referred to by the Georgian party either have nothing to do with racial discrimination or have nothing to do with Russia as the responding party," The AP quotes him as saying.

Mr Gevorgyan has stated, in his turn, that consideration of this case is outside the jurisdiction of the UN Court of Justice. "The claim was filed only when it became obvious that the military operation in Georgia had failed," the diplomat has emphasized and added that Georgia tries "presenting itself a victim in the conflict which was unleashed by it," the Reuters reports.