Abkhaz Foreign Ministry Hosts Consultations Before Geneva Security Talks

SUKHUM / AQW'A — Preparatory consultations ahead of the 66th round of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasus have taken place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia.

The meeting, held on 18 February, brought together Abkhaz officials and representatives of the discussions’ co-chairs.

The Abkhaz side was represented by Lasha Avidzba, Artur Gagulia, Sariya Dzhopua and Levan Gadlia. The co-chairs were represented by Tom Trier, EU Adviser for the South Caucasus; Emmanuel Anquetil, Political Adviser to the EU Special Representative; Tudor Campean of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre; Irina Egorova, Political Affairs Adviser at the United Nations; and Akylbay Yeleussizov, Senior Officer at the UN Department of Political Affairs.

According to the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry’s press service, key topics included the agenda for the forthcoming round of discussions and current issues relating to regional security.

Opening the meeting, Lasha Avidzba said the Abkhaz side remained open to substantive dialogue on all matters and expressed hope for constructive engagement.

“For our part, we reaffirm the need to hold the next round of the International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasus. This is an important platform for the Republic of Abkhazia and, unfortunately, at present the only one where we can speak, defend our country’s interests and work on a non-use of force agreement,” he said.

Both sides confirmed their intention to continue work on a legally binding document on the non-use of force, described as the principal objective of the discussions.

Participants also revisited the issue of resuming the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in the town of Gal. The sides underlined the need to create conditions conducive to restoring the mechanism’s operation.

During the consultations, it was stated that the situation along the border area remains stable and does not give cause for concern.

“We, for our part, will continue to strengthen the entire line of the state border unilaterally, which should lead to zero violations of the crossing regime in unauthorised areas,” Mr Avidzba, head of the Consular Department of the Foreign Ministry, said.

The agenda of the second working group, which addresses humanitarian issues, was also discussed.

The 66th round of the Geneva International Discussions is scheduled to take place on 18–19 March 2026.