Russian MFA Slams OSCE for Absence at JCC Moscow Session

In an information note issued on February 20 the Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the OSCE for not sending its representatives to Moscow to participate in a session of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) over South Ossetia.

The JCC session was opened in Moscow on Monday with the participation of the negotiators from Russia, breakaway South Ossetia and Russia?s North Ossetia. Commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPKF) Maj. Gen. Marat Kulakhmetov also participates in the session. The Georgian side is absent.

?Of course the absence of the Georgian delegation in Moscow is cause for regret. But we are not dramatizing this situation, especially since in previous cases the Russian co-chairman of the JCC had to carry out separate meetings with the Georgian and Ossetian sides. These [meetings] were usually fruitful. Hopes for a positive outcome currently exist as well, especially against the background of a consensus among all the co-chairmen [of the JCC] regarding the outlining of priority tasks. These tasks include the development of an agreement over the launch of a joint work in frames of the JCC on a joint Georgia-Ossetian program for resolution of the conflict,? the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

?Another issue is strange ? the absence of the representatives of the OSCE in Moscow,? the Russian Foreign Ministry continued.

?Being upset [about Russia’s refusal to hold a meeting in Vienna, the representatives of the OSCE] not only forgot about an elementary diplomatic politeness (it is customary to respond to an invitation), but, most importantly, also expelled themselves at this stage from ongoing intensive work within frames of the JCC over normalization of the tense situation. In addition, a low level of professionalism by the OSCE observation mission in Georgia should be noted, which was demonstrated during  investigations of recent incidents in [the South Ossetian] conflict zone. The question arises about the readiness of representatives of this organization to act impartially and objectively and to adequately react to existing challenges,? the Russian Foreign Ministry statement reads.

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