Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin discussed on Thursday with the heads of delegations at the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia, State Advisor to the President of South Ossetia Konstantin Kochiev and his Abkhaz colleague Irakli Tuzhba, the task of quickly developing legally binding guarantees of the non-use of force by Tbilisi in relation to Sukhum and Tskhinval.
This is stated in the message of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In the context of the upcoming next round of International Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia on December 5, diplomats discussed the “common priorities in this format with an emphasis on ensuring lasting security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”
“Taking into account the recent provocations in the border area, the need was emphasized for the speedy development of legally binding guarantees of the non-use of force by Tbilisi in relation to Sukhum and Tskhinval, as well as the launch of the process of delimitation of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian state borders with their subsequent demarcation,” the Russian Ministry stated.
The Geneva discussions on security and stability in the South Caucasus have been held regularly since October 2008. One of the main issues is the signing of a document on the non-use of force. Moscow, Tskhinval and Sukhum are calling on Tbilisi to sign this agreement, but Georgia refuses and insists that Russia must take on the non-use of force obligation. South Ossetia and Abkhazia emphasized that Georgia should conclude this agreement with the two republics, and not with the Russian Federation, which is not a party to the conflict.
