NGOs and Abkhazian Journalists Stand up for Parastaev and Tskhovrebov

Today, representatives of a number of Abkhazian NGOs and journalists disseminated a joint declaration in which they note that people in Abkhazia have enthusiastically welcomed the decision to declare 2006 the Year of Abkhazia in South Ossetia and the Year of South Ossetia in Abkhazia. Within the framework of this initiative, Alan Parastaev, coordinator of the Civil Society Club, and Timur Tskhovrebov, editor of the independent newspaper "21 Seculare", visited Abkhazia. During their stay, A. Parastaev and T. Tskhovrebov met representatives of the Abkhazian government, journalists and members of non-government organizations. "The trip to Abkhazia has been fruitful, plans for cooperation have been made and the program of getting acquainted with the expertise of leading public organizations of Abkhazia has been worked out for young civil society activists of South Ossetia. Unfortunately, upon their return to South Ossetia, A. Parastaev and T. Tskhovrebov faced an extremely negative assessment of their visit to Abkhazia. What is more, they were accused of spying, of working for Georgian intelligence service and of betraying the interests of South Ossetia", the declaration notes.

The representatives of Abkhazian public who for many years cooperated with South Ossetia organizations and directly with Alan Parastaev and Timur Tskhovrebov "can only take the incident as resulting from misunderstanding or misinformation". "It is impossible to believe that someone may seriously lay such serious charges on our colleagues. We are sure that such suspicions could only be cherished those who never knew either A. Parastaev and T. Tskhovrebov or their activity and biography. Public should be better reminded about the numerous projects which were implemented with their active participation, - the declaration notes. - First of all, of course, these are the initiatives under the aegis of the Caucasian Forum of Non-government Organizations where Alan Parastaev has for a long time been coordinator and executive secretary. The list of programs in which he took an active part is rather impressive. Here are but a few of them: organization and holding of the summer peacemaking camp in Abkhazia for children of Chechen refuges and their parents; initiation and implementation of monitoring of events in Kodor in 2001 with publication of its results, organization of a series of seminars on the development of public organizations in different regions of Northern and Southern Caucasus, and a host of others."

"We realize that not everyone could be aware of the active public work conducted with the participation of these persons in the Caucasus. However, we are sure that the military past of Timur Tskhovrebov and Alan Parastaev is well known to everyone in South Ossetia. They are both war veterans who defended South Ossetia. For long months, Timur Tskhovrebov and Alan Parastaev were defending the life and dignity of their people on the frontline. During the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, they were in the Ossetian battalion in Abkhazia. Can these facts possibly be insufficient proof of absolute rejection by these persons of the policy pursued by Georgia? It is only those who fell victim of someone's unscrupulousness and misinformation can doubt the loyalty of these persons to the interests of their country. We all know that people in South Ossetia are capable of valuing their worthy sons and we are sure that the libel of Alan Parastaev and Timur Tskhovrebov will soon be unmasked", - the document runs.

According to the authors of the declaration, cooperation must be expanded not only on the level of official meetings: unless these are followed by contacts on the grass-root level, the good intentions may largely remain mere declarations. " Alan Parastaev and Timur Tskhovrebov are the very persons who facilitate close communications and business relations on the level of public organizations and simple people. Public representatives of our countries must do everything to preclude further misinformation and malevolence from shading the Abkhazian-Ossetian cooperation," insist the authors of the document.

The declaration is signed by Arda Inal-Ipa, Liana Kvarchelia, Acida Shakryl, Batala Kobakhia from the Humanitarian Program Centre; Natella Akaba, Bella Turtseva, Ludmila Djindjal, Irina Adleiba from the Abkhazian Women's Association; Manana Gurgulia, Diana Kerselian from the Sukhumi media club; Alkhas Thagushev, Aslan Kutsnia, Timur Zanmtariya from the Inva-Assistance Association; Inala Khashig, editor of "Cheghemskaya Pravda " newspaper, and journalists Indira Bartsits and Andjela Kuchuberiya.