‘Group of Friends’ Discusses Abkhazia
No direct Georgian-Abkhaz talks were held in Bonn during a meeting of the UN Secretary General?s Group of Friends, the Abkhaz news agency reported, quoting the breakaway region?s foreign minister, Sergey Shamba.
Diplomats from France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and the U.S. – the Group of Friends – met in Bonn on June 27-28 and discussed recent developments in the Abkhaz conflict zone.
Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Merab Antadze and Abkhaz Foreign Minster Sergey Shamba were also present.
Diplomats from the Group of Friends held a series of separate talks with the Georgian and Abkhaz representatives, Shamba said.
The Abkhaz side is refusing to hold direct talks with Tbilisi as long as the latter refuses to withdraws its forces and the headquarters of the Abkhaz governmental-in-exile from upper Kodori Gorge of Abkhazia.
The Georgian State Minister?s press office reported on June 28 that the Georgian side had informed the Group of Friends of its desire to resume direct talks with the Abkhaz side.
