New challenges should stimulate active work on the non-use of force document, - Kochiev
The South Ossetian side stated at the meeting with the OSCE, the UN and the EU co-chairs of the Geneva discussions that it was necessary to look for the ways of a more constructive approach to the work on preparing a document on the non-use of force by Georgia against South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
“Of course, we expect that a new meeting will be held this year, at which we will be able to return to the consideration of the most important problem from our point of view: this is the development of a document on the non-use of force. Although we understand that for a long time the work on it encounters obstacles from the Georgian participants, who are constantly changing their position and approaches to this document," State Advisor to the President of South Ossetia Konstantin Kochiev said at the meeting with the co-chairs on Tuesday.
According to Kochiev, new challenges in the broadest sense should stimulate more active work.
"We understand that a very difficult atmosphere is developing in Transcaucasia, and this applies not only to South Ossetia and Georgia, but also to other Transcaucasia and South Caucasian states," the Adviser has noted.
He has added that the search for a more efficient security model matters to everyone.
“It is necessary to look for the ways for a more constructive approach of the participants in the work to the development of a document on the non-use of force,” Kochiev has stressed.
The State Advisor to the President noted the importance of the Geneva discussions in strengthening the existing security system.
“We hope that there are no obstacles for holding the 57th round, and the parties involved will be able to find an opportunity to use the meeting for a constructive discussion of the agenda item. We all see that the stagnation that took place in the Geneva discussions has a negative impact on the development of the process. There are many issues that need to be discussed. We, as before, believe that the Geneva discussions have no alternative as a negotiating platform between Tskhinval, Sukhum, Tbilisi and Moscow,” Kochiev has stressed.
The EU co-chair Toivo Klaar expressed hope for a productive discussion of the issues at the meeting.
“It's great that we were able to have a round in Geneva recently. We have meetings quite intensively, and I hope that our today's meeting will also help us productively discuss the possibilities of how to move the issues forward,” he said.
Cihan Sultanoglu, the UN co-chair of the International Discussions on Security in Transcaucasia, has noted that they want to do everything possible so that the Geneva process is aimed at the result.
“I would like to join my colleagues in expressing my commitment to the Geneva process. We want to do everything possible to ensure that the Geneva process is focused on results. And I would like to express my gratitude to you for your presence in Geneva in October, despite the obstacles. I think that with such an attitude we will be able to take some steps forward,” she stressed.
The meeting continued in a closed format, without media representatives.
