State Minister Speaks of Details of Georgian-Abkhaz Talks

Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava described the UN-led Georgian-Abkhaz talks, which were held in the Gali district of breakaway Abkhazia on May 12, as ?positive?, adding that the sides agreed over 12 issues and signed a joint protocol.

At a news conference in Tbilisi State Minister Khaindrava spoke about the details of the agreement signed in Gali.

He said that the sides agreed to set up a special group of three representatives from each side, which will be monitoring the security zone, which includes a territory of 12-km radius from the administrative border of breakaway Abkhazia. Zugdidi, the main town in Georgia?s Samegrelo region, is also in this security zone, which was determined by the 1994 ceasefire agreement between the Georgian and Abkhaz sides.

The Georgian and Abkhaz sides committed to submit the list of their forces to the Russian peacekeeping troops command, as well as to the UN observers who is currently stationed in the security zone.

According to the joint protocol, the Georgian and Abkhaz sides agree to exchange information regularly about crimes committed, ?especially in the Gali district? of Abkhazia.

Khaindrava said that the Georgian and Abkhaz sides decided to set up a joint investigation group to probe into crimes committed in the Abkhaz conflict zone.

?The Abkhaz side assured us that Sokhumi will take cardinal measures to improve the crime situation in the Gali district; that is of crucial importance for us,? the Georgian State Minister said. 
 
Goga Khaindrava said the sides also agreed that the Abkhaz and Georgian police checkpoints should not be closer then 650 meters to each other in the conflict zone.
 
The sides decided to discuss the issue of reducing the number of police forces currently stationed in the security zone during the next meeting, which is expected to take place in June.

A meeting between the Georgian and Abkhaz sides will also be held in Moscow in late May to discuss the implementation of 2003 Sochi agreement, which envisages the return of internally displaced persons to Abkhazia, the resumption of the railway via Abkhazia and the rehabilitation of the Enguri hydro power plant.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)