Georgian, S.Ossetian Chief Negotiators Meet in Tskhinvali

Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Merab Antadze and South Ossetian chief negotiator Boris Chochiev met in Tskhinvali on February 20 to discuss details of an informal meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC).

The informal ?information session? of the JCC, a group that includes negotiators from the Georgian, South Ossetian, Russian and Russia?s North Ossetian sides, is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on February 28-March 2, according to the Georgian State Minister?s press office.

The South Ossetian side claimed earlier that it would participate in the Istanbul meeting of the JCC if at the meeting the sides negotiate a date, venue and agenda of the next plenary session of the JCC.

Tbilisi has been refraining from participation in an official plenary session of the JCC in an attempt to lower the profile of the commission, which Tbilisi describes as ?unfair and outdated.?
 
According to the Georgian State Minister?s Office, the sides have already agreed to hold a meeting in Istanbul, but certain details still need to be negotiated.
 
During the visit to Tskhinvali Merab Antadze also met with Commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Forces Marat Kulakhmetov and Commander of the Georgian Peacekeeping Battalion Mamuka Kurashvili to discuss the current situation in the conflict zone.

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