Russia Says JCC Session on S.Ossetia Agreed with Tbilisi

Georgian and Russian officials have agreed to hold a plenary session of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) in Tbilisi at the end of September, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on August 30.

The Georgian deputy foreign minister, Giorgi Manjgaladze, and the state minister for conflict resolution issues, Davit Bakradze, held talks with the Russian deputy foreign minister, Grigori Karasin, and the deputy chief of Russia?s National Security Council, Vladimir Nazarov, in Moscow on August 30.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Russian side had warned the visiting Georgian officials against attempts to promote the Tbilisi-backed South Ossetian provisional administration led by Dimitri Sanakoev. It also warned against Tbilisi?s attempt to undermine the current Russian-dominated negotiating formats.

In early August, in what has been seen as an attempt to undermine the JCC and another sign of Tbilisi’s disenchantment with the body, which brings together the Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and Russia?s North Ossetian sides, State Minister Davit Bakradze relinquished his position as co-chairman of the body. He has been replaced by his deputy, Dimitri Manjavidze.

The last plenary session of the JCC was held in Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia last October. Since then Tbilisi has been ignoring the body. Despite the recent agreement in Moscow, it is considered unlikely that the plenary session will be held in Tbilisi at the end of September.

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