On October 12-13, 2021 the 54th round of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia took place in Geneva with the participation of representatives of the Republic of Abkhazia, Republic of South Ossetia, Georgia, Russian Federation and USA co-chaired by the UN, EU and OSCE
The delegation of the Republic of Abkhazia, headed by Irakli Tuzhba, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, included Givi Kvarchia and Astamur Logua, members of the National Assembly-Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia, Zaal Khvartskia, the Deputy Chairman of the State Security Service of the Republic of Abkhazia, and also members of the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry, participants in the Geneva discussions Lasha Avidzba, Artur Gagulia and Anna Gamisonia.
The work of the regular 54th round of the Geneva Discussions was traditionally conducted in two groups: on security and humanitarian issues
During the work of the first group, the head of the Abkhaz delegation once again stressed his position regarding the need to conclude a legally binding document on the non-use of force between Georgia on the one hand, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia on the other. Unfortunately, the Georgian delegation once again refused to engage in dialogue on this key issue on the agenda.
The Abkhaz delegation drew the Co-Chairs' attention to Georgia's ongoing military build-up, stressing that this action could inevitably lead to an escalation of tension in the region.
The participants in the discussions characterized the situation on the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with Georgia as stable. The international mediators gave a positive assessment of the opening of checkpoints on the Abkhaz-Georgian state border
The participants of the Discussions once again stressed the need to take joint steps to reactivate the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in the city of Gali, which was terminated due to the provocative actions of the Georgian side.
At the end of the day's discussions, the Co-Chairs proposed to prepare a joint document on the basis of which the work of the Geneva International Discussions would be continued.
The second working group traditionally continued to discuss humanitarian issues related to freedom of movement, education, overcoming of the consequences of the spread of coronavirus infection, and a number of other pressing issues on the agenda.
The next round of the International Geneva Discussions is scheduled for December 7-8, 2021.