TWENTY-EIGHTH ROUND OF GENEVA INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS CONCLUDES

The Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions gave a press conference this afternoon at the end of the twenty-eighth round of the Discussions.

HERBERT SALBER, European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, said that Geneva International Discussions had just completed their twenty-eighth round and read out the joint press communiqué by the Co-Chairs.

In Working Group I, the participants began a discussion on the security situation on the ground. The Co-Chairs appreciated the overall calm and stable situation despite some repeated incidents such as increased detentions of civilians in the South Ossetian context. In that regard, the Co-Chairs welcomed the attitude adopted by local actors to ensure a swift and prompt release of those detained. Some concerns were raised regarding the lack of clarity in crossing procedures in Akhalgori district.

The participants also reviewed the work done in the IPRM (Incident, Prevention and Response Mechanism) framework. The Co-Chairs urged the participants to find a compromise on the resumption of the Gali IPRM meetings and welcomed the work done within the Ergneti IPRM.

The Co-Chairs deeply regretted the disruption of Working Group II due to disagreements on certain agenda points among participants. The Co-Chairs immediately engaged bilaterally with all participants in order to find ways to resume the session in the Working Group, which was essential for confidence-building and resolution of humanitarian issues. The Co-Chairs reiterated that the topics discussed within Working Group II were purely humanitarian and did not have to be politicized. They reminded participants that humanitarian-related issues were part of the Geneva International Discussions’ mandate. Therefore, the failure to address them was a worrying development.

The Co-Chairs would continue their consultations with all participants in the near future in order to find mutually acceptable solutions for the important work done in that framework.

The participants agreed to hold their next session in Geneva from 7 to 8 October 2014.

ANTTI TURUNEN, United Nations Representative to the Geneva International Discussions and the Joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, said that the twenty-eighth round had been interesting and featured long consultations both on the agenda and on how to conduct business within the Geneva Discussions’ framework. Unfortunately, today’s discussions focused more on procedure than substance, said Mr. Turunen, but the Co-Chairs would travel to the region again soon in an attempt to overcome difficulties, especially those seen in Working Group II concerning internally displaced persons and refugees. Another concern was how to support the vulnerable populations who faced problems on the ground.

Mr. Turunen welcomed the appointment of Mr. Salber as the new European Union representative and wished him success in his mandate

ANGELO GNÄDINGER, Special Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, also welcomed Mr. Salber. He said that today’s talks showed the complexity of the task ahead. A challenge was how to gain everybody’s agreement on the smoothest way to conduct the discussions. What was happening here in Geneva was only the tip of the iceberg, Mr. Gnädinger said. The iceberg was the huge amount of work being done on the ground, in the Incident, Prevention and Response Mechanism and through bilateral meetings to address the day-to-day issues that arose from the divisions in the region.

Mr. Gnädinger said he would travel to the region again in ten days’ time for the next Incident, Prevention and Response Mechanism meeting and would work with colleagues in the coming days to give a new impetus to the overall process of the Geneva International Discussions.


For use of the information media; not an official record