On the meeting with the Co-Chairs of the International Geneva Discussions

On the meeting with the Co-Chairs of the International Geneva Discussions
14 September 2022 799

On September 14, 2022, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, Iraklii Tuzhba met with the Co-Chairs of the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasus at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia. The delegation of the Co-Chairs consisted of the UN Representative Cihan Sultanoğlu, the OSCE Co-Chairman at the GID Viorel Moșanu and the Chief of Cabinet of the EUSR for the South Caucasus Björn Kühne.

From the Abkhazian side, the meeting was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the State Security Service of the Republic of Abkhazia Zaal Khvartskia, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, participants in the Geneva Discussions Lasha Avidzba, Artur Gaguliia and Madina Shamba.

The main topic of the consultations was the discussion of the possibility of holding the next 56th round of the Geneva Discussions and further work within the framework of the format.

During the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, Iraklii Tuzhba, noted that the Abkhazian side is closely following the situation in the surrounding regions, as well as the internal political processes taking place in Georgia.

"We pay attention to the internal political processes that are currently taking place in Georgia, to the statements of high-ranking Georgian leaders regarding our republic, related to security issues and the non-resumption of the conflict. In particular, recently Irakli Kobakhidze, chair of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party, said that Georgia is considering the possibility of holding a referendum on the possibility of opening a "second front". We all understand perfectly well what the "second front" means and this causes the most serious concern for us," Tuzhba said.

The Deputy Minister called on the Co-Chairs to respond to such threats in order to prevent further escalation of the conflict in the region, and also drew the attention of the Co-Chairs to the ongoing buildup of Georgia's military potential, which poses a threat to stability and security in the region.

"A few days ago, another large-scale military exercise under the auspices of NATO, which took place in Georgia, called "Noble Partner", ended. Representatives of more than 20 countries took part in these exercises, with the involvement of 2,500 servicemen and various types of modern military equipment," he stressed.

Iraklii Tuzhba stressed the need to agree on and further sign a document on the non-use of military force between Georgia and the Republic of Abkhazia. "This is the key goal, the key task that the Geneva Discussions as a whole face," he noted.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the issue of promptly unblocking the work of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gal, as one of the important components of the Geneva Discussions.

Cihan Sultanoğlu, the UN representative at the GID, stressed that the meetings are now taking place against the backdrop of increased tension in the region and the situation on the Black Sea coast is not easy. However, the Co-Chairs managed to hold a number of preparatory meetings with the participants of the GID.

The Co-Chairs expressed their readiness and commitment to holding the next round of the International Geneva Discussions.

The 56th round of the International Geneva Discussions is scheduled for October 5, 2022.

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