Bolat Nurgaliev: No other alternative is acceptable for the population of South Ossetia than a continued dialogue
The Geneva Talks Co-Chair delegation visited South Ossetia. The delegation was headed by the EU Co-Chair Pierre Morel. OSCE Co-Chair Bolat Nurgaliev and UN Co-Chair Antti Turunen, OSCE Secretariat representative Rasa Ostrauskaite, the European Commission Senior Political Advisor and UNHCR representative were among the delegation.
In Tskhinval, the delegation was received by South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Djioev and Deputy Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev. The Deputy Foreign Minister Alan Pliev and the President's Special Representative for Human Rights David Sanakoev also attended the meeting. In his introductory speech, Murat Djioev expressed his hope that the meeting would be fruitful for the preparation of the next round of talks. He noted that after August 2008, the only international mechanism capable to defuse tensions in the region are the Geneva discussions. "We believe we can reach an agreement on non-use of force paper within the frameworks of the Geneva discussions. It is crucially important. It is a key element in the process of settlement on other issues of Georgian-Ossetian relations", said Djioev.