Georgia, Russia unable to agree on non-use of force at Geneva International Discussions
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Georgia and Russia were unable to agree on a non-use of force statement at the Geneva International Discussions that would oblige all the members of the Geneva talks not to use force against one another.
The adoption of the statement served the concrete aim of launching the fulfillment of the Russia-Georgia 2008 ceasefire deal [in which Russia took on the responsibility not to use force against Georgia, but has not yet met with the obligation],” the Georgian Foreign Ministry has stated.
Russia showed a destructive attitude and deliberately brought the discussions on the statement to a dead end,” the Georgian ministry reported.
Government of Georgia representatives once again raised the importance of the presence of an international mechanism on the ground, which was refused by Russia and representatives from Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Another focus of the 43rd meeting of the discussions on March 27-28 was the death of Archil Tatunashvili.
Georgia, co-chairs of the discussions from the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as well as a participant from the United States "condemned the illegal detention and death of Tatunashvili, and stated that handing over the body to his family after about a month was an inhumane act.”
The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that indifference shown by Russia and the occupied regions to the murder cases of Giga Otkhozoria and David Basharuli encourages violence against ethnic Georgians, including the recent murder of Archil Tatunashvili.
The Russian response
Responding to the Geneva Discussions, Russia’s Foreign Ministry wrote that "Tbilisi turned the meeting into a propaganda action.”
Georgia once again tried to blame Russia for its own inability to regulate relations with Sukhumi and Tskhinvali,” the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote.
Instead, Georgia should finally think seriously about restoring confidence with its neighbors: launch a direct, mutually respectful dialogue with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and abolish the law On the Occupied Territories,” Russia claims.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that the cases of violation by the EU observers of the "state borders” of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have become frequent.
The EU monitors were urged to avoid incidents respecting the borders of the Caucasian republics,” the Ministry added.
The Russian state body reported that the Russian, Abkhaz and South Ossetian delegations expressed their concerns about military cooperation between Georgia and NATO.
The Geneva International Discussions are international talks, launched in Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2008, to address the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia. Co-chaired by OSCE, EU and UN the Geneva process brings together representatives of the participants of the conflict—Georgia, Russia, and Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia—as well as the United States.
Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze stated late on Thursday that Georgia is working together with its international partners within the Geneva International Discussions to adopt a non-use of force statement with the discussion participants.
A Georgian delegation led by First Deputy Foreign Minister David Dondua is in Switzerland where the 32nd round of the Geneva International Discussions convenes on June 30 and July 1.
A Georgian delegation led by First Deputy Foreign Minister David Dondua has departed for Switzerland where the 31st round of the Geneva International Discussions convene on March 17 and 18.
Yet another round of the Geneva International Discussions – the only international format of meetings addressing Georgia-Russia relations – began today, with security issues and the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), on the top of the agenda.
The 43rd round of the Geneva International Discussions - international talks launched to address the consequences of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war - took place in the end of March, this year. The participants agreed to hold the next round of talks in June 2018.
The 45th round of the Geneva International Discussions has touched upon the grave human rights situation in the occupied Georgian regions, as well as on cases of the murder and abduction of Georgian citizens and complications related to local incident prevention mechanisms.
Russia has accused NATO and the United States of creating threats to regional security as they support Georgia upgrade its military capabilities.The Russian Foreign Ministry also reports that concerns regarding the US-built Tbilisi Lugar Lab have not been alleviated.
Due to the Russian Federation’s “destructive attitude” the 47th round of Geneva International Discussions of April 2-3, have again ended without tangible results, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia said after the two-day meetings.
Two individuals have been killed and 15 others injured in a road accident near the Russian Lipetsk district yesterday as a bus on the Moscow-Tbilisi route overturned on a frozen road, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports. Those killed were Georgian citizens, as well as the injured, the Georgian news agency Netgazeti said.