GID Co-Chairs Visit Georgia

On February 10, the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) from the EU, the UN, and the OSCE met in Tbilisi with the head of the Georgian delegation to the GID, Lasha Darsalia. The meeting was held in preparation for the 63rd round of the GID slated for March 4-5. The GID co-chairs also held talks in Tskhinvali and Sokhumi.

Visit to Tbilisi

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the parties discussed the main issues of the GID agenda, including the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement and its fulfillment, as well as the return of internally displaced persons.

The importance of resumption the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali without any preconditions and of conducting the IPRM regularly in Gali and Ergneti, in accordance with the fundamental principles, was also emphasized.

“During the meeting, the Georgian side drew attention to the security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in the occupied territories and near the occupation line, as well as to the steps taken in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of international law, aimed at annexing the occupied territories,” the MFA press release said, adding: “In this regard, the Georgian side emphasized the issue of the illegal launch of the airport in occupied Abkhazia.”

“The Georgian side also emphasized the illegality of the planned so-called presidential elections in the Abkhazian region, which is another blatant violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the press release said.

Visit to Tskhinvali

On February 11, the GID co-chairs visited Tskhinvali and met with the head of the South Ossetian delegation Konstantin Kochiev. According to the Tskhinvali-based RES news agency, Kochiev “raised the issue of missing persons” at the meeting noting this is a “priority”.

“In fact, we all understand that we are talking about forcibly abducted Ossetians who were captured by the Georgian side,” he claimed. He also commended the return of the Geneva discussions to a normal working rhythm and the existence of the IPRM mechanism.

Visit to Sokhumi

On February 13, the GID co-chairs visited Sokhumi and met with Abkhazia’s de facto deputy foreign minister, Odyssey Bigvava, and the de facto ministry’s staff, Lasha Avidzba and Artur Gagulia. The sides discussed the agenda of the upcoming talks, local news agency Apsnypress reported.

According to Apsnypress, the resumption of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gal and obstacles to its implementation were also discussed.

Also Read:

• 07/11/2024 – 62nd Round of Geneva International Discussions
• 01/07/2024 – Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Questions Geneva International Talks
• 27/06/2024 – 61st Round of Geneva International Discussions

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