Georgian MFA: Russia Tries to Distort Tbilisi’s Position at Geneva Talks

Georgia said Russia had tried “to distort” Tbilisi position expressed at the Geneva talks by claiming that the Georgian negotiators expressed readiness to accept Russian inspectors to monitor Georgian military bases.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on January 22, that it had requested inspection after Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister, Giga Bokeria, offered Russian negotiators in Geneva on December 17-18 to arrive in Georgia and examine the situation on the bases in order to verify Georgia’s compliance with ceasefire accord, envisaging return of the Georgian army units back to places of their permanent location.   

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on January 23 that during the Geneva talks in December negotiators discussed the incident prevention mechanisms across the breakaway regions’ administrative borders.

“One of the measures discussed was so-called issue of "joint visits”, which envisaged the visit of the participants of the Geneva discussions, including the co-moderators (OSCE, UN, EU) to the sensitive areas, which could be of interest to the participants,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said. “In practical terms this meant that Russia and Georgia could agree to visit jointly, in presence of the international organizations, military installations located in Tskhinvali, Akhalgori, Gori, or other sites of mutual interest.”

“The notion of "joint visits” was the first and foremost based on the principle of reciprocity, and this was the understanding of every participant of the discussions, obviously except the Russian delegation. Precisely because of the principle of reciprocity, Russia did not agree to the final text of the document in question.”

Russia requested inspection of the Georgian bases by revoking the 1999 OSCE Vienna Document. According to the same document an OSCE participating state can decline the request by claiming, as the document puts it, “force majeure.” Georgia used this mechanism and declined the Russia’s request saying that Russia was an occupying force and “force majeure” in frames of the Vienna Document would continue in respect of Russia unless latter de-occupies Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“In this context the issue of "joint visits” discussed within the framework of the Geneva talks has nothing to do with the format of Vienna Document of 1999, under which the evaluation visit and verification inspection have been requested by Russia,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

It also said that Russia had to try to distort Georgia’s position at the Geneva talks and resort to “demagogy” after “failing to find legal and political arguments” to justify its request on the base inspection.

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