Archive - 11/6/2015

South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov met with co-chairs of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia.
The delegation of the Co-Chairs of the Geneva discussions has included the OSCE co-chair Angelo Gnedinger, the EU co-chairman Herbert Zalber, the OSCE spokesmen Race Ostrauskaitė, Tobiyas Privitelli, Marko Brkic, the EU officials Magdalena Grono, Emmanuel Anquetil, the UN representatives Frank Remus Hailu, Mamo, Irina Egorova.
The Head of State welcomed the guests and noted the need for activities in the framework of the Geneva discussions.
"We hope that at the forthcoming round of the Geneva discussions the participants will find a common language, and thus will promote to resolve the issues and challenges of this format, - the president said. - The main aim of the Geneva discussions is to find common ground in order to maintain the peace, to find mutual understanding and exclude mistrust between the parties. In this regard, we believe that the issue of the non-use of force should be the main issue of the Geneva discussions. And, perhaps, it is time for the Georgian side to realize that without signing the legally binding document on non-use of force any progress in the post-conflict settlement is doubtful. I hope that at the next round the parties will come to a mutual understanding, and will be developed a statement of the commitment to a peaceful solution of the principles of the basic question. "
The President has stressed that in South Ossetia appreciate the need to work in the format of the Geneva discussions.
"To date, the Geneva discussions is the only platform where South Ossetia, Georgia and Abkhazia could find a language that would become positive in the settlement of the situation", - said the head of state.
The EU Co-Chair Herbert Zalber, in turn, thanked the President for the opportunity to meet with him and discuss a number of important issues.
"An important theme of the Geneva discussions is an agreement on the non-use of force, we are working on this issue - said Zalber. - Of course, we wish the meetings in the framework of the discussions were much more effective. We ask ourselves, how to achieve this and, perhaps, there is no the perfect answer. We can only make suggestions, and the parties represented in the Geneva discussions, can decide whether they accept them or not.
We also intend to make a proposal for a more dynamic agenda in the sense that we will not have a fixed scheme, but there will be more flexibility in the work under the authority of the co-chairs. Such a scheme would give us as, the co-chairs, to more effectively manage this process. Such changes reveal some chances. "
The OSCE co-Chair Angelo Gnedinger has noted that the co-chairs considered the letter of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Leonid Tibilov concerning the fate of the missing citizens of South Ossetia, as well as those serving sentences in Georgian prisons.
"We know that the International Committee of the Red Cross doing some work on the missing persons, we are also working on this issue - said Gnedinger. - We regularly meet with the relatives of the missing South Ossetian citizens. Today we have also met with them. During the meeting I have informed them that the fate of the three people, missing since October 2008, will be clarified by the OSCE independent expert. "

In Tskhinval the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia have met with members of the South Ossetian delegation at the Geneva talks.
The meeting was also attended by the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia Kazbulat Tskhovrebov.
At the beginning of the meeting the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy of South Ossetia for post-conflict settlement, the head of the South Ossetian delegation at the Geneva discussions Murat Dzhioev welcomed the guests and noted the importance of the existing international format.
"We, in South Ossetia appreciate the Geneva discussions - said Dzhioev. - We believe that this format is really effective and can ensure security and stability in our region. "
According to Dzhioev, the guarantee of safety is to prepare a document on the non-use of force in the framework of the Geneva discussions.
"This is a document that will have a strong international guarantees, it is in the interests not only of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but also all residents of the region as a whole - said Dzhioev. - At the same time, the work of the Geneva discussions is not as smooth as we would like, our Georgian partners sometimes deliberately sabotage the discussion of vital issues. Sometimes they try to impose on such issues that are not so actual as the questions of security and the non-use of force. We need to consider that humanitarian issues directly linked to the situation in the region. "
The EU co-chairman Herbert Zalber also noted the importance of the format of the Geneva discussions.
"We are glad to meet you once again in order to prepare for the next round of Geneva talks - said Zalber. - Sometimes it was a little difficult to use the existing format, but we are thinking about how to make this forum more effective. The previous round did not end quite the way we wanted. We thought about it, and we will discuss with you the proposals that we have. "
The OSCE co-Chair Angelo Gnaedinger raised the issues of the South Ossetian missing citizens, as well as those serving sentences in Georgian prisons.
"We would like to be useful for the imprisoned people, as well as the missing persons- said Gnaedinger. - With regard to the missing persons, we have a green light from Tbilisi that the OSCE should have an independent expert. And we hope we will decide how we will work further in this direction. "
Then the meeting continued behind closed doors.