Moscow Hails Georgian-Abkhaz Tbilisi Talks

The Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the first session of the recently reinstated Georgian-Abkhaz Coordinating Council in Tbilisi on May 15, saying that Moscow always supports the use of existing negotiating mechanisms.
 
“We hope that further activities of the Coordination Council will contribute to the implementation of measures aimed at confidence building and furtherment of the peace process,” an information note issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on May 16 reads.
 
Foreign Minister of breakaway Abkhazia Sergey Shamba and Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Giorgi Khaindrava participated in a meeting of the Georgian-Abkhaz Coordinating Council, which was held under the auspices of the UN and was attended by ambassadors from the UN Secretary General’s Group of Friends – involving Germany, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
The Georgian-Abkhaz Coordinating Council, which last gathered in 2001, was set up in 1997 to deal with security related issues, return of refugees and displaced persons, and economic and social issues. Three working groups were also set up in frames of the Council to address these three directions.
 
“As a mediator, Russia will actively participate in the activities of the Coordination Council and its groups,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.