Incident prevention mechanism praised at Geneva talks on South Caucasus security talks - Moscow
MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax) - The performance of the Incident Prevention and Reaction Mechanism on the border between Georgia and South Ossetia and the operation of communications hotlines received positive assessments during international talks on Tuesday and Wednesday on South Caucasus security issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Hope was expressed at the meeting, held in Geneva, that a similar mechanism would be resumed soon on the Georgian-Abkhaz border, the ministry said in a statement.
"The delegations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia provided specific information on the positive dynamics of the crossing of the two republics' borders with Georgia and the absence of serious problems in that respect for local residents, including the ethnic Georgian population of Leningori district in the Republic of South Ossetia and Gali district in the Republic of Abkhazia," the statement said.
The meeting, co-brokered by the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and European Union, also brought together representatives of Georgia, Russia and the United States. The Russian delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.
"During debates on the main task of the Geneva discussions - seeking guarantees of stable security for Abkhazia and South Ossetia - the representatives of Sukhumi and Tskhinvali advocated speeding up work on legally binding agreements with Tbilisi on the non-use of force. The Russian side reaffirmed its readiness to act as guarantor of agreements on regional security. It was emphasized that, given Georgia's unbridled efforts to join NATO, the granting of a 'substantive package of cooperation' to Tbilisi at the summit of the alliance in Wales in September this year, plans by NATO to create a military infrastructure on Georgian territory, and resumed negotiations on supplies of new armaments to Georgia by Western countries, issues of security in Transcaucasia acquire special significance and need close attention," the ministry said.
"In this context, the Russian and Abkhaz representatives explained that the Alliance and Strategic Partnership Treaty between the Russian Federation and Republic of Abkhazia signed on November 24 this year aims to consolidate the statehood and defense capability of Abkhazia and contains no provisions posing threats to any third parties, including Georgia. Least of all is it about any 'annexation,' something that has recently become a commonplace propaganda cliche in Tbilisi and in the West," the statement said.
"An expert exchange of opinions took place on the Russia-proposed draft of a joint statement by the participants in the Geneva discussions on the non-use of force. The majority of delegations and the co-chairs advocated a further search for mutually acceptable formulas in view of the special importance of such a document for the security of all Transcaucasian states," the ministry said.
It said the next round of talks was scheduled for March 2015.