Sokhumi Rejects Talks with Tbilisi’s Chief Negotiator

President of breakaway Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh said after talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin on February 19 in Sokhumi that the Abkhaz side will not hold talks with Tbilisi while the latter is represented at the negotiations by Irakli Alasania, who is the Chairman of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz government-in-exile, Regnum news agency reported.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed Irakli Alasania as his envoy for Abkhaz conflict settlement issues. Alasania is also expected to lead the Georgian delegation at the UN-sponsored talks with the Abkhaz side scheduled in Geneva in March.

However, Sergey Bagapsh also said that resumption of talks is important, but added that economic issues should become the top priority of these negotiations.

Bagapsh said that the Abkhaz side “will consult with Russia and coordinate all issues which are related to the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict resolution [with Moscow].”

Russian Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin said, “it is very important for us to exchange views over the set of issues which the Foreign Ministry of Russia and Abkhazia are facing…We are very much satisfied by the fact that our Abkhaz colleagues are ready to resume talks.”

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