Russian Official Discusses Georgia with German, U.S. Diplomats

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin held two separate meetings with U.S. and German diplomats in Moscow on June 19, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

The necessity for de-escalating the situation in the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflict zones was discussed during the talks with William J. Burns, the U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs.

The current situation in the Abkhaz conflict zone was discussed with Hans-Dieter Lukas, special envoy of the German Foreign Ministry for Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

“The sides stressed the necessity for implementing joint measures in the frames of the Group of Friends on Georgia in order to defuse tension in the conflict zone and resume the negotiating process,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.