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| Russia proposes moving Geneva discussions on the South Caucasus to another country |
| 2024-04-15 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [KavkazUzel] Moscow insists on moving the Geneva discussions on security issues in the South Caucasus to another country, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, Switzerland acts as a mediator in negotiations between Georgia and Russia after Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2008, and the Georgian parliament voted to sever diplomatic relations with Russia. The first round of Geneva discussions took place on October 15, 2008. At the fourth round of Geneva discussions, on February 18, 2008, it was possible to agree on the text of a proposal to create a joint mechanism for the prevention and timely response to incidents in the border areas of Georgia and South Ossetia, as well as Georgia and Abkhazia. In April 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the suspension of the Geneva discussions, but then they resumed. Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be Russian-occupied territories after Russia intervened in the armed conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia on August 8, 2008 and later recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Georgian parliament voted to sever diplomatic relations with Russia, according to the Caucasian Knot report on the 2008 Five-Day War, which also contains details of this armed conflict. Maria Zakharova explained the desire to move the location of the discussions by saying that Switzerland is “losing trust as a mediator in resolving international issues.” “The Russian side was forced to put into practice the issue of transferring the International Geneva discussions on security and stability in the Transcaucasus to another country, whose authorities actually refrain from any actions detrimental to the interests of any of the participants in this negotiating format,” said Maria Zakharova, quoted by RIA Novosti. The Foreign Ministry representative also stated that several states are vying for the role of a new platform for regular meetings, some of them have already given consent. The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added that Abkhazia and South Ossetia “completely share Moscow’s point of view on this matter.” It should be noted that the latest 60th round of international Geneva discussions took place on April 5 with the participation of representatives of the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the Republic of South Ossetia, the Russian Federation and the United States, co-chaired by the UN, OSCE and the European Union. “The general intention to continue joint work under the auspices of the Ministry of Railways has been confirmed. They remain the only internationally agreed format for the post-conflict restoration of relations in the Sukhum-Tbilisi-Tskhinvali triangle,” says a statement published on the same day in the official telegram channel of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Abkhazia and South Ossetia support the transfer of discussions to another country, said Deputy Foreign Minister of Abkhazia Irakli Tuzhba. “Abkhazia and South Ossetia also have their own claims against Switzerland. They are also related to the tightening of visa policy,” says a message published in the telegram channel of the Media Center of the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry. The decision to postpone discussions has not yet been made; this requires the consent of all participants in the negotiations. Abkhazia, Russia and South Ossetia are considering Belarus and Serbia as options, the report also says. The Georgian Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to statements by representatives of the foreign ministries of Russia and Abkhazia. The Geneva format of negotiations has lost its relevance, since the meetings held are of a formal nature. Its only significance is that all parties to the conflict take part in the discussions, noted Georgian analysts interviewed by the Caucasian Knot in July 2023. Let us recall that in February 2023, the Abkhazian authorities refused to accept the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions. They planned to take part in the 57th meeting of the international Geneva discussions on stability and security in the South Caucasus. According to analysts, the refusal of the Abkhaz authorities was initiated by Russia. |
| Posted by:badanov |