South Osetian NGOs will have ether to change style of work or to give up activity

A post of the president's aide responsible for non-government organizations (NGOs) and foreign missions has been introduced into the government of South Osetia. Petr Gassiyev, who is one of the founders of the NGO-movement in South Osetia, was appointed to this post. In his interview with the Osetian Youth newspaper, Petr Gassiyev told what had caused the introduction of such a post in the republic.

"The president has repeatedly made harsh statements about NGOs recently," Mr Gassiyev said. "It is caused, first of all, by the fact that along with NGOs that really work, develop, and try to create work places, there are NGOs of a parasitic nature."

A lot of NGOs receive grants from funds in Georgia due to the unrecognized status of South Osetia, existence of the conflict zone and unsettled relations, the NGO activist noted. Therefore they are bound to use these funds conscientiously, and the state has the right to take an interest in what purposes these funds are spent for as the republican organizations receive them from foreign funds based in the country whose relations with South Osetia are unsettled.

"I think the first thing we should do is to create a united coalition of really working NGOs. The other organizations will have either to change the style of their work or to give up their activity," Mr Gassiyev said. It is not a question of repressions but of increasing NGOs' responsibility for the funds they receive, he explained.