61st Round of Geneva International Discussions

On June 25-26, the 61st round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) – a multilateral format to address security and humanitarian consequences of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war – was held in Geneva. 

According to the Press communiqué of the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions, participants in the I Working Group engaged “in active, at times tense, exchanges of views on the practical implementation of the 2008 six-point agreement, with a particular emphasis on non-use of force and international security arrangements,” while the discussions in the II Working Group “were also challenging, but participants managed to address several humanitarian issues, such as crossings, documentation, detentions, missing persons and health.”

The Co-Chairs emphasized that the GID participants welcomed the “smooth” cooperation within the Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and reiterated the importance of the resumption of the Gali IPRM meetings “without further delay.”

The issue of IDPs and refugees could not be discussed again due to the walkout “by some participants.”

Positions Taken: Georgia

According to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Georgian delegation emphasized the importance of the implementation of the 2008 ceasefire agreement by Russia, and the return of Georgian IDPs to their homes. The Georgian MFA reported that the representatives of Russia and the occupied territories walked out of the discussion on the latter issue in accordance with “their established practice.”

During the meeting, the Georgian side also emphasized the “dire” security, humanitarian and human rights situation caused by “the destructive actions of the Russian occupation regime” both within and along the occupied territories.

Among other issues, the Georgian side also expressed its concern about the recent illegal “parliamentary” elections in the occupied Abkhazia, and the holding of Russian presidential elections in both of the occupied territories in March 2024, “which grossly violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.” 

Positions Taken: Russia, Tskhinvali, Sokhumi Participants

The statement by the Russian MFA said the efforts need to be intensified in the “main” area of the GID, which Moscow thinks is ensuring the lasting security for the occupied territories. “The signing by Georgia of a legally binding document on guarantees of the non-use of force against these republics and the beginning of the process of delimitation of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian state borders [occupation lines] with their subsequent demarcation will be of key importance here,” Moscow said.

Among other things, the Russian MFA asserted the old narrative that the UN General Assembly resolution on Georgian IDPs is “highly politicized” and “continues to be a serious irritant hampering constructive work in the humanitarian sphere.” According to Russia, the “denial of access” to the platform for the representatives of the occupied territories is the reason why the issue gets blocked within the GID.

Russia and the occupied territories called for the relocation of the GID because of “Switzerland’s departure from its neutral status.” “At the same time, the need to preserve the negotiating format itself was emphasized,” the Russian MFA said.

The Russian MFA also addressed the situation in the region in its press release: “The priority of the tasks on the agenda is dictated by the ongoing military training activities of the U.S. and NATO in the Black Sea region, the still existing plans to admit Georgia to the alliance, as well as the EU’s use of its so-called “European Peace Facility” to finance the purchase and transfer of non-lethal military equipment and equipment to Tbilisi in order to strengthen the capacity of the Georgian armed forces, which calls into question the EU’s ability to act as an “honest broker” given its status as one of the co-chair organizations.”

As usual, the representatives of the occupied territories echoed Russia’s position.

Speaking of the Gali IPRM, the de-facto Sokhumi authorities said it has been inactive since 2018 “due to the extremely unconstructive position of the Georgian participants.”

Among other issues, “the Abkhazian side proposed the creation of a working group with the involvement of international specialists, the purpose of which will be to find ways to solve the problem of realization of the rights of citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia to freedom of movement on Abkhazian passports.” Also, the representative of the occupied Abkhazia touched upon the “topic of freedom of movement and access to education, medical care and a number of other pressing issues” for its residents.

The participants agreed to hold the next GID round before the end of this year.

More to follow…

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• 07/04/2024 – 60th Round of Geneva International Discussions

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