Georgian ruling party accuses former President Saakashvili of unleashing 2008 war

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Georgia's ruling party on Tuesday issued a statement accusing former President Mikheil Saakashvili of starting the 2008 war over South Ossetia "under orders from external forces."

"It is a fact that in August 2008, Saakashvili's adventurous actions were not the result of his mental instability, but the result of outside instructions and well-planned betrayal," the Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party said after a political council meeting.

The party also called for a "public legal process" to ensure that society fully understands "who committed this treacherous crime against the country and its people."

On Aug. 8, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the government would reach out to the Prosecutor General's Office, the Constitutional Court, or potentially establish a parliamentary commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 2008 war.

In August 2008, tensions between Georgia and its breakaway region of South Ossetia escalated into a full-scale war. The conflict began when Georgia launched a military operation to regain control over South Ossetia, which had declared independence in the early 1990s but was not internationally recognized. In response, Russia intervened, sending troops into South Ossetia and later into another breakaway region, Abkhazia, to defend its peacekeepers deployed there.

The war lasted five days and ended with a cease-fire brokered by the European Union. Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, though most of the international community continues to view them as part of Georgia. The conflict deepened the rift between Russia and Georgia and impacted regional stability.