President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that Russia has not changed its warm and brotherly attitude toward the Georgian people after Tbilisi”s recent attack on South Ossetia.
“We still have brotherly attitude toward the Georgian people and nothing could have shattered these feelings,” Medvedev said at the opening of a new subway station in Moscow.
Russia and Georgia fought a brief war after Tbilisi launched in early August an attack aimed at bringing the breakaway pro-Russian region of South Ossetia back under its control. Russia”s operation to “force Georgia to peace” was criticized in the West as excessive.
“History will judge the crimes committed by the current Georgian leadership, but our attitude toward the people of Georgia will always remain the most warm and brotherly,” the president said.
Speaking at the same ceremony, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov pointed out that there were many Georgian-born members of the construction team involved in building the new Slavyansky Bulevard subway station, including a chief engineer, a general director and a tunnel supervisor.
“We regret the recent and unexpected spat between Russia and Georgia, which was solely caused by the Georgian leadership,” he said, adding that Georgia”s president Mikheil Saakashvili deserved a trial at an international tribunal and condemnation by all humanity.
