Georgian and Russian envoys negotiate in Prague
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The Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze and the State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin have met in Prague in what is the only format of direct Georgia-Russia dialogue.
Abashidze said that he opened the talks by mentioning the recent fact of creeping occupation where Russian occupation forces deployed in central Georgia moved the occupation line further into Georgian territory in the village of Bershueti earlier this week.
Abashidze said he expressed the position of the Georgian government regarding the matter but Karasin replied such topics are not for Prague meetings but for the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) format in Geneva.
"It was made clear once again that we have absolutely opposed approaches regarding this issue”, Abashidze said following the meeting.
Abashidze-Karasin meeting in Prague is the only format of direct dialogue between Georgia and Russia since the two countries cut off their diplomatic ties after the 2008 war. The format was launched in late 2012 and covers only humanitarian, trade and economic related issues. It does not touch upon politics. Political issues are mainly in focus of the IPRM meetings where international negotiators facilitate talks between Georgia, Russia and de-facto leadership of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, the two Georgian regions that are currently occupied by Russia.
Earlier this week it was reported that Russian occupation forces deployed in Tskhinvali region moved the occupation line further into Georgian territory. They illegally placed a new so-called border sign in the village of Bershueti in the Gori Municipality, which saw about 10 more hectares of Georgian soil in the heart of the country become occupied by Russia.
Apart from this issue, today’s meeting between Abashidze and Karasin touched upon Russian-Georgian commercial and transportation relations. The sides exchanged views on the implementation of the 2011 agreement on the mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of regional trade.
The next meeting in Prague is scheduled for autumn.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has released a statement, saying that the recent reports about furthering the Administrative Boundary Line into the depths of Georgia in the Tskhinvali region is a provocation before the Russian and Georgian envoys meet in Prague today.
The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia has released a statement in connection with the recent illegal installation of a so-called border sign across the occupation line in the breakaway Tskhinvali region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has issued a statement expressing its "deep concern” over the illegal installation of a so-called border sign across the occupation line in the breakaway Tskhinvali region, in the area of Bershueti village, Gori district.
The Russian occupation forces deployed in central Georgia have moved the occupation line further into Georgian territory. This step saw about 10 more hectares of Georgian soil in the heart of the country now become occupied by Russia.
The Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze has summed up his recent meeting with the State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin.
The Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia says that the only aim of erecting new border signs along the ABL with breakaway Tskhinvali region is to force the Georgian side to start negotiations on the demarcation process.
Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigory Karasin have met in Prague in what is the only format of direct Georgia-Russia dialogue.
A contract signed on December 19 by Georgia and a Swiss company regarding the monitoring of cargo traffic between Georgia and Russia is only an agreement on the implementation of the Georgia-Russia 2011 deal, says Georgia’s Foreign Minister.
Moscow is ready for intensifying "practical cooperation” with Georgia in 2018 and hopes for an "adequate response” from Tbilisi, says State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigory Karasin.
The Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigory Karasin met in Prague, Czech Republic yesterday for what is the only format of direct Georgia-Russia dialogue.
Georgian Envoy to Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin have met in Prague, Czech Republic today to discuss trade-economic relations, as the format of the meetings is not meant to be political.
Georgian Special Envoy to Russia Zurab Abashidze has raised current problems in the two occupied regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) during his meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Prague yesterday.