62nd Round of Geneva International Discussions - The South Caucasus News

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On November 5-6, the 62^nd round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) – a multilateral format to address security and humanitarian consequences of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war- was held in Geneva.

The Geneva International Discussions/GID were established on the basis of the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, brokered by the European Union. GID are co-chaired by representatives of OSCE, EU, and UN, and involve participants from Georgia, Russia, and the U.S., as well as members of both the exiled Georgian administrations of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and the two regions’ Russian-backed authorities, in their personal capacities. Sessions are held in two working groups, with the first group discussing peace and security matters, and the second – humanitarian concerns. The main issues discussed at the GID are the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes, and the security and humanitarian problems created as a result of the Russian occupation.

Georgian MFA Statement

According to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Georgian delegation emphasized the importance of the implementation of the 2008 six-point ceasefire agreement by Russia, and the return of Georgian Internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugees to their homes.

During the meeting, the Georgian side also addressed security issues, as well as the humanitarian and human rights situation caused by the destructive actions of the Russian occupation regime both within and along the occupied territories.

Geneva Co-Chairs Communique

“Despite strongly diverging positions, the participants managed to have exchanges on key developments on the ground”- reads Press communiqué of the GID Co-chairs.

Magdalena Grono, who officially assumed her duties as EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia co-chaired the round for the first time.

The Communique said that in Working Group I, “the participants continued their discussion on the implementation of the 2008 six-point agreement, with renewed emphasis and focus on non-use of force and international security arrangements.”

In Working Group II, discussions focused on several sets of humanitarian issues, including freedom of movement, documentation, livelihoods, education and missing persons. However, the topics regarding main issues of negotiations concerning the return of IDP and refugees from occupied territories to their homes could not be fully addressed, “notably due to a walkout by some participants” – Co-chairs noted.

Russian MFA Statement

The statement by the Russian MFA emphasized “translating the conciliatory signals coming from Tbilisi into practical terms, such as assumption by Georgia of legally binding guarantees of the non-use of force” vis-a-vis the occupied territories and “launching the process of delimitation” and “subsequent demarcation” with Tskhinvali and Sokhumi.

Russian MFA said the relevance of these tasks “is conditioned by official Tbilisi’s recognition of the existence of political forces in Georgia itself and beyond its borders that are hatching plans to open a ‘second front’ against Russia” in the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region as well as by “continuous development of the country’s military in accordance with North Atlantic Alliance standards.”

The statement calls the “highly politicized UN General Assembly resolution on internally displaced persons and refugees” introduced by Tbilisi in the UN General Assembly a “stumbling block” on the humanitarian track, complaining about the denial of access to New York for representatives of the occupied regions “to present their positions on the issue.”

Assessing the situation on the ground as generally “relatively calm”, the statement credits the IPRM in Ergneti, along the Tskhinvali occupation line, and says that “efforts are underway to launch a similar IPRM” in Gali.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says that it has raised with the Abkhazian and Ossetian participants the issue of moving GID to another venue “in view of Switzerland’s de facto loss of its neutral status due to its accession to all the packages of illegal anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the European Union” and promises to continue efforts to move the venue of the negotiations.

Abkhaz participants

According to the Abkhaz sources, the resumption of the activities of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali was a key element of the discussions, with representatives of all delegations reaffirming their commitment to the re-establishment of the Mechanism. However, the opposing positions of the parties on the technical modalities of IPRM meetings have been cited as a factor hindering the realization of the parties’ intentions for its reactivation.

In Working Group II, the Abkhaz participants focused on the freedom of movement of citizens holding so-called “national passports” of the occupied territories of Abkhazia. As noted by Abkhaz sources, the next round of discussions is planned to include an information session and establish a working group on this issue.

South Ossetian Participants

Tskhinvali representatives also stressed the issue of the non-use of force agreement. Tskhinvali representatives also noted the effective functioning of the IPRM which ensures stability in the border area.

South Ossetian representatives together with Russian and Abkhaz ones have once again raised the issue of moving the regular rounds from Geneva to another venue acceptable to all participants.

The next round GID is scheduled for March, 2025.

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