PRESS RELEASE
Seventh Round of Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia
The 7th meeting in the framework of international discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia took place in Geneva on September 17. In attendance were delegations from the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the Russian Federation, the United States, the Republic of South Ossetia and the representatives of EU, UN and OSCE. Deputy Foreign Minister/State Secretary Grigory Karasin headed the Russian delegation.
The Russian side briefed the partners in detail on efforts to bolster security in this troubled South Caucasus region, the stabilization measures on the borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia with Georgia and the scale of the assistance being rendered to the young Transcaucasian states. It was stressed that an absolute security priority in Transcaucasia is to sign nonuse-of-force agreements between Georgia and Abkhazia and between Georgia and South Ossetia. International organizations could also contribute usefully to stabilizing the border situation – primarily UN, EU and OSCE, especially through constructive participation in activities of the joint incident prevention mechanisms.
The delegations of Abkhazia, Russia and South Ossetia also suggested concentrating on real work to help Georgian, Ossetian and Abkhaz refugees who had left their homes throughout the armed confrontation since 1989, and expressed the readiness to continue a joint search for ways to improve the humanitarian situation in the region.
The tense debate in the two working groups – on security issues and humanitarian themes – has shown that the Georgian side instead of constructive work prefers to pursue a futile politicized line, designed to forcibly regain the territorial integrity of Georgia lost as a result of its own aggression against South Ossetia in August 2008.
The next meeting in Geneva is tentatively slated for November 11.
September 18, 2009
