By IRNA,
Berlin : Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder blamed US-backed Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili for “triggering” the conflict in the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia.
What sparked the present combat actions was the “Georgian invasion of South Ossetia,” Schroeder said Saturday in an interview with the weekly Der Spiegel news magazine.
He branded Saakashvili a political “gambler”, while warning against plans for a swift NATO membership of Georgia.
Schroeder stressed that the present “strategic partnership” between Moscow and Berlin should not be called off because of the Georgian conflict.
The former German leader warned also against US-led attempts to “demonize Russia.”
“I view Russia as part of Europe,” emphasized Schroeder who is still a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.