The Russian delegation for the first time is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko
The next, 49th round of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia with the participation of representatives of Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, the United States and South Ossetia, as well as the UN, the European Union and the OSCE observers, started on Wednesday, TASS reports.
The Russian delegation is headed for the first time by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, who replaced Grigory Karasin in this post. At the head of the Georgian delegation, as at the last meeting, is Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia. According to tradition, the Transcaucasian republics are represented by Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, Daur Kove, and Plenipotentiary of the President of South Ossetia for post-conflict settlement, Murat Dzhioev.
The Russian party voiced its intention to discuss the current situation on the South Ossetian-Georgian border. In a conversation with TASS, Darsalia has emphasized that for Georgia this is “not a question of borders,” however, he acknowledged the growth of tension that must be overcome.
This format of meetings remains the only dialogue platform between Sukhum, Tskhinval and Tbilisi. The basis is the agreement of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and France, reached after the act of aggression of Georgia in August 2008. The main goal of the discussions is to achieve a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force between Abkhazia and Georgia, South Ossetia and Georgia.
