‘The first and only’ round of Geneva Int’l Discussions held this year
The next round of GID will take place in Geneva on March 23-24, 2021. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Participants of the Geneva International Discussions (GIDs) gathered for the first and only time this year to discuss security and humanitarian issues in Georgia's Russia-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) on December 10-11.
The GID co-chairs from the European Union, United Nations and OSCE said in their joint press communiqué yesterday that ‘the security situation on the ground was assessed as relatively calm and stable’.
The participants reviewed a number of issues on the agenda, including the situation in the Chorchana-Tsnelisi area, recent detention cases, missing persons, and the importance of conflict-affected populations' access to livelihoods”, they said.
They further noted that ‘particular focus was given on the one side to the core agenda item of non-use of force and, on the other, on the impact of COVID-19 on the humanitarian situation on the ground’.
Davit Vanishvili (also known as Data Papa), whose house is surrounded by the barbed wire fence, has been detained several times for crossing the so-called border, which is in his own yard. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
However, at the same time the co-chairs underlined that ‘participants could not engage on the issues of IDPs and refugees, due to a walkout of some participants’.
The co-chairs reiterated their call for all participants to increase efforts to build trust and confidence among them, and to ensure constructive cooperation with international humanitarian and human rights organisations”, press communiqué reads.
Welcoming the resumption of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Ergneti the co-chairs emphasised the need to resume regular meetings of the Gali IPRM as well.
The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar, who is one of the GID co-chairs, has tweeted that a physical GID meeting that was finally held this year demonstrates 'every participant’s commitment to this important process' during the pandemic.
Very pleased that we were finally able to hold a physical GID meeting. A demonstration of every participant’s commitment to this important process during COVID times. pic.twitter.com/3MIxk8tQ8R
— Toivo Klaar (@ToivoKlaar) December 11, 2020
The Geneva International Discussions were launched in October 2008 to address the consequences of the Russia-Georgia 2008.
The format brings together the participants of the conflict - Russia, Georgia and de facto regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, as well as the United States.
The co-chairs of Geneva International Discussions (GIDs) from the European Union, United Nations and OSCE, Toivo Klaar, Cihan Sultanoglu and Rudolf Michalka remain “fully engaged to help address the challenges” created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hosted a preparatory meeting for the 51st round of the Geneva International Discussions, the only international format discussing the consequences of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, between Georgia’s representatives and the EU, the UN and OSCE Co-chairs.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry reports that it is ‘concerned’ Russia has broken off the 51st round of Geneva International discussions, the only international format discussing the consequences of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
The Georgian ambassadors to NATO and Geneva will exchange their positions. The new Ambassador of Georgia to the UN Office in Geneva will be Alexandre Maisuradze, while Victor Dolidze will serve as the Ambassador of Georgia in NATO.
Germany and France have issued a joint statement earlier today calling Georgia their ‘close partner’ which has ‘undergone tremendous democratic changes in the last two decades’, including the strengthening of its ties with NATO and the European Union, in which it plays ‘an exemplary role’.
Davit Vanishvili, also known as Data Papa, who has lived for about eight years isolated on the other side of the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) in the Russian-occupied Georgian village of Khurvaleti, has died.