The most powerful man in Georgia - Bidzina Ivanishvili, offered his country to apologize to the Ossetians for the 2008 war with Russia, which led to Moscow's recognition of two Georgian rebel regions, Georgian media reported, cited by Reuters and BTA.
Russia recognized South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent states after Russian troops repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war in 2008. Most of the rest of the world continues to recognize the territories as Georgian .
Ivanishvili, who is a former Prime Minister of the country, a billionaire, and is now the leading candidate of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" for the October 26 election, said the "criminal regime" of the former president Mikheil Saakashvili has provoked the war on the orders of foreign forces, reported the Georgian public television 1TV.
"Immediately after the elections on October 26, those who caused the war will be brought to justice," Ivanishvili said, adding that then Georgians would "apologize" about the war. He said this at an election rally in the city of Gori, which was briefly occupied by Russia in 2008.
Saakashvili is serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power and could not be reached for immediate comment, Reuters noted.
His party "United National Movement" (END) said that Ivanishvili's words caused shame for the nation, which serves the interests of Russia, and added that the statement was treasonous, Interpress News reported.
An EU-commissioned report published in 2009 said Georgia triggered the war when it attacked Tskhinvali in South Ossetia with heavy artillery on the night of August 7-8, 2008. Russia responded with an extraordinary a force which, according to the report, exceeded reasonable limits.