Archive - 3/7/2015

June 30 - July 1, 2015 In Geneva was held the 32nd round of international discussions on security in Transcaucasia, attended by delegations of the Republic of South Ossetia, the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the Russian Federation, the United States, as well as the EU, UN and OSCE representatives. South Ossetian delegation was headed by Presidential Envoy for post-conflict settlement Murat Dzhioev.
Two working groups were discussing humanitarian and security issues. The working group on security, in accordance with the Medvedev-Sarkozy agreement, focused on the non-use of force by Georgia against South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as to ensure security and stability in the region.
The South Ossetian delegation reiterated its call for revitalization of the work on a legally binding bilateral agreement on the non-use of force, which would have solid international guarantees.
There was continued the expert work on harmonization of the text of the joint statement on the commitment to the principle of non-use of force.
South Ossetian participants have rejected the attempts of the Georgian delegation to link the discussion of security issues in the region with South Ossetian-Russian bilateral relations, stressing that the South Ossetian-Russian relations are developing exclusively on the basis of international law and fully comply with the interests of security and peace in the region.
Discussing the issues of stability and security in the area of the South Ossetian-Georgian border, the participants noted the lack of serious incidents and the relative stability of the situation.
At the same time it was considered the destabilizing course of activities of the Georgian side to damage the South Ossetian border signs, intentional violation of the state border, buildup of informational tension around the boundary issue and points of intersection.
South Ossetian representatives reiterated the proposal of the authorities of South Ossetia to begin a bilateral joint work on delimitation and demarcation of the state border between South Ossetia and Georgia.
The panelists noted the usefulness and feasibility of continuing of the Mechanism for preventing and responding to incidents in the area of South Ossetian-Georgian border, acting in the framework of the Geneva discussions.
The representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have expressed great concern for stability and security in the region in relation to new steps of integration of Georgia with NATO military bloc and the creation of the NATO infrastructure on the territory of Georgia.
The rapprochement between Georgia and NATO cannot but cause concern on the background of persistent refusal by the Georgian authorities to sign with South Ossetia and Abkhazia the documents on non-use of force and the persistent claims of Georgia to the territory of sovereign states - the republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Absolutely destructive, biased and tendentious move was regarded the report on "violation" of human rights in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, submitted by Georgia to the OSCE. It is obvious, this political provocation was planned in order to distort the two countries, trying to achieve their international isolation.
Due to the fact that Georgia has once again railroaded through the UN General Assembly a resolution on refugees, South Ossetian and Abkhaz participants in the Geneva discussions considered it impossible to participate in the discussion of this issue in Geneva.
In the joint statement released by the South Ossetian and Abkhaz participants have noted that the resumption of the discussion of the refugee problem will be possible in case of refusal of Georgia from the artificial politicization of this issue.
South Ossetian and Abkhaz participants pointed to the absolute unacceptability of acts of Georgia and its European partners to take all measures in order to prevent the participation of football teams of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the European Championship ConIFA in Hungary.
It has taken a thorough discussion of humanitarian issues, in particular, to address the issue of the missing persons and residents of South Ossetia illegally convicted in Georgia.
The South Ossetian delegation reiterated the proposal of the President Leonid Tibilov to consider the question of mutual release of the convicted citizens of South Ossetia and Georgia, and received assurances that the Georgian authorities would react responsibly to clarify the fate of the missing persons.
South Ossetian participants again raised the question of the return of cultural treasures by Georgia. They presented materials on the unique icon-triptych, stolen from the South Ossetia museum and now being in Georgia.
At the end of the round were briefly summed up its results.
The next meeting in Geneva is scheduled for October 2015.
Geneva, July 2, 2015

For several, the UN General Assembly adopts the draft resolution introduced by Georgia on refugees and displaced persons from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Repeating each year the text of the document, Georgia is trying to impose on the world community one-sided, politicized and distorted vision of the refugee problem, in order to reinforce its illegitimate territorial claims.
The UNGA draft resolution on refugees and displaced persons tabled in June 2015 by Georgia, the text of which does not differ from the earlier adopted resolutions of the UN General Assembly, refers to the confirmation of the right of all displaced persons and refugees and their descendants to return "to their homes throughout Georgia including Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

The text of the resolution imposed to the international community passes over in silence that the appearance of these refugees and displaced persons is directly connected with the war unleashed by Georgia against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. There is not also mentioned, that of more than one hundred thousand Ossetians fleeing from ethnic cleansing on the Georgian territory and found refuge in South Ossetia and the Russian Federation, only few managed to return home.

The text of the resolution is silent, that the governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on their own initiative returned to their homes tens of thousands of Georgian refugees. The text of the resolution submitted by Georgia does not take into account the existing political realities, in particular, the fact that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are independent states, but also demonstrates that Georgia is not going to find a solution of complex humanitarian issues.

It is obvious that the resolution railroading by Georgia from year to year, cannot improve the situation on refugees from Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and also adversely affects the course of the Geneva discussions, which remain the only platform where representatives of South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of existing problems, including the problem of refugees and displaced persons.

The main key to the solution of the refugee problem is not diplomatic tricks and resolutions designed for propaganda effect, but non-confrontation and the signing of a legally binding agreement on non- use of force, and ultimately - the peace treaty between Georgia Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Politicization of the refugee problem by Georgia undermines the work to discuss this issue in the framework of the Geneva talks. As Georgia prefers to discuss issues related to the situation of refugees and displaced persons in such an authoritative international body like the UN General Assembly, South Ossetia and Abkhazia insist on their right to participate in the discussion of this issue in the United Nations. As long as are continued political games around the refugee problem behind Abkhazia and South Ossetia, there will be not meaning to discuss this issue within the framework of the Geneva talks.