OSCE Chair Concerned over Russia’s Abkhaz, S.Ossetian Move

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, “expressed concern” on April 17 over “the decision of the Russian Federation to establish official ties with the de facto authorities of Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”

“I urge all parties involved to refrain from any unilateral actions which could further destabilize the already tense situation. I call on the parties to look for ways to build confidence and engage in efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflicts. The OSCE and its Mission to Georgia stand ready to promote the peace process,” he said.

Referring to the South Ossetian conflict, the Finnish foreign minister expressed his support for the existing negotiation mechanisms and “regretted that they have not been fully utilized,” the OSCE press office reported.

“I encourage the parties to the Georgian-Ossetian conflict to return to the negotiation table in the format agreed by all parties,” he said.

Tbilisi wants to scrap the current negotiating mechanism for South Ossetia – the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC) – and replace it with a 2+2+2 formula, which would see Russia’s North Ossetia being replaced by the Tbilisi-backed South Ossetian provisional administration and the inclusion of the OSCE and the EU. The move is opposed by Moscow and Tskhinvali.

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