On June 28, 2023, 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 - with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar, the UN Representative Cihan Sultanoğlu and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for the South Caucasus Viorel Moșanu. From the Abkhazian side, the meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman of the State Security Service of the Republic of Abkhazia Zaal Khvartskiia, officers of the MFA of Abkhazia Lasha Avidzba and Artur Gaguliia. Traditionally, the main topic of the meeting was the discussion of the agenda of the upcoming 58th round of the Geneva International Discussions.
Opening the meeting, Iraklii Tuzhba once again emphasized that for Abkhazian side the issue of signing a document on non-use of force between the Republic of Abkhazia and Georgia remains a key aspect of the work of the GID. Speaking about the security situation in the region, Iraklii Tuzhba noted that it remains relatively calm. “Over the past period, no serious incidents were reported in the border zone. At the same time, we are seeing a significant activity of NATO forces on the territory of Georgia, which concerns us seriously,” Tuzhba said.
In addition, Iraklii Tuzhba stressed that recently there have been calls for the opening of the so-called second front with a certain frequency. “In Abkhazia, calls of this kind cause justified concern, and we treat these statements with the utmost care and seriousness,” he said.
All participants of the meeting stressed the need to relaunch the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gal as one of the important elements of the work of the GID. The Abkhazian side once again expressed its readiness to discuss this issue. In turn, the Co-Chairs of the Geneva Discussions stressed the importance of continuing work to create conditions for ensuring strong security guarantees in the region.
During the consultations, discussions also took place on humanitarian issues related to freedom of movement and other topical issues of the upcoming round of Geneva discussions.
The 58th round of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasus is scheduled for July 11-12, 2023.
