As a part of an official visit to Georgia, German ChancellorAngela Merkel was offered to take a look through binoculars across the border at South Ossetia, one of the Georgian territories that separated from Tbilisi after a conflict in 2008, and a Russian military base situated there. The picture of Merkel looking through binoculars didn't go unnoticed by some social media users, who took the opportunity to mock the German chancellor.
Some Twitter users suggested that she was looking for Russian missiles there.
Others said that she was looking for Putin…
Several Twitterians suggested that it was totally unnecessary and inconvenient to look at beautiful South Ossetia through binoculars, as she could just have visited it and experienced the hospitality of its citizens herself.
"Merkel was looking at Russian military base in Tskhinvali through binoculars during her visit to Georgia. Could just have asked to invite her," a user named Katherine Tarakanova wrote.
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Following the reports of Merkel's observations, South Ossetian President Anatoly Bibilov invited the German chancellor to visit the country "through the front door," instead of looking at it from the "backyard."
Many Russian Twitter users also suggested that the German chancellor just wanted to watch Russian soldiers.
"Merkel looked at 'Putin's army' through binoculars (saw something interesting… couldn't take her eyes off… must have seen Russian soldiers bathing outdoors)" a user named Evdokimov Oleg suggested.
"The times when people looked at stars through telescopes are long gone. Russian army is now new ‘stars' to be looked at," the user named Makarena wrote.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia separated from Georgia and proclaimed independence after the 2008 conflict, which started after Tbilisi shelled the capital of Ossetia, Tskhinvali, killing hundreds of its residents. Russia pushed Georgian forces out of South Ossetia, protecting its own citizens living in it. Russia later recognized the sovereignty of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia still considers both states breakaway territories.
Georgia lost control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia after a military conflict in the 1990s. Since then both regions demanded independence, but Georgian authorities only agreed to give them autonomy.