8th Round of Discussions on Security and Stability in Transcaucasia To Be Held in Geneva

SUKHUM -- The eighth round of the discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia will be held today in Geneva. Delegations of the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, the USA, the Republic of South Ossetia take part in the consultations held under the aegis of the United Nations, the EU and OSCE.

The discussion will be carried on in two working groups - on the issues of security and on humanitarian subjects. A discussion of the unofficial document on the non-use of force presented in September in Geneva is expected to be continued. The arrangement that the co-chairmen would complete the document in order "to collect basic elements of the consent of all the parties" was reached then within the frameworks of the seventh round of the discussions.

These meetings have been held since October, 2008 on the basis of arrangements of the presidents of Russia and France, reached after the repulse of the Georgian aggression against South Ossetia in August, 2008.

The Russian delegation is headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, the South Ossetian by the President of the Republic’s Plenipotentiary on postconflict settlement Boris Chochiev, the Abkhaz one by the President’s aide for international issues Vyacheslav Chirikba, the Georgian delegation by the Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Bokeria.