The next round of the consultations on security in Transcaucasia with the participation of representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, USA, as well as UN, OSCE and EU will start today in Geneva; it will be held for two days – June7 - 8.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has declared that it is expecting the participants of the meeting to respond to Moscow's offer on security guarantees in Transcaucasia.
"The Russian side is expecting a response from the other participants of the Geneva discussions to its draft general statement on the non-use of force, made at the previous meeting in Geneva in March, 2012. It remains in force the Russian proposal for joint international guarantees of security, consolidating the unilateral commitments of the Abkhaz, Georgian and South Ossetian sides in 2010 about the non-use of force ", - is indicated in the Foreign Ministry`s statement.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that on the initiative of the delegation of the Republic of South Ossetia on the eve of the round, June 7, would also be held the information session "on the legal aspects of the terms" occupation "and" occupied territory "in relation to the current situation in the South Caucasus."
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in turn, announced that they would jointly oppose the use of the term "occupied territories".
It should be noted that the Geneva discussions are held since October 2008 on the basis of the agreements of the presidents of Russia and France, reached after the events of August 2008 in South Ossetia. The Geneva meetings on an equal basis are attended by delegations of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, the U.S., the EU, UN and OSCE.
The 20th round of discussions will be held June 7-8.
