Moscow Wants Sokhumi, Tskhinvali to Participate in Geneva Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would insist on the involvement of South Ossetian and Abkhaz representatives in international talks scheduled for October 15 in Geneva.

“Participants of these discussions are not listed in the signed document [referring to the September 8 agreement between President Medvedev and President Sarkozy],” RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying at a news conference on September 9. “But we have made it clear that South Ossetia and Abkhazia should take an equal seat at the discussion table.”

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said after the talks with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, that the agreement envisaged international discussions.

He specified that according to the agreement the following issues would be discussed:

• Stability and security in the region;
• Return of refugees based on the internationally recognized principles and practice of post-conflict settlement;
• Other issues for discussion should be mutually agreed between the sides.

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