Co-Chairs on Tuesday will be received by President of the Republic Anatoly Bibilov
The main objective of the Geneva discussions - the development of a legally binding document on the non-use of force, has become more relevant lately, in spite of the events that we have been observing in recent months, said Murat Dzhioyev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy at a meeting with the co-chairs.
“And therefore, we have a responsible task - to do everything so that the situation is brought back to normal, and the tension that has been maintained in recent months is removed and not go in an undesirable direction,” the Envoy said.
According to him, the tasks facing the Geneva discussions are very important, and the Geneva process is highly appreciated in South Ossetia, consider it an important mechanism for ensuring security and stability in the region as a whole. Dzhioev expressed hope that the upcoming fiftieth round of the Geneva discussions would be very fruitful and noted his readiness for fruitful work.
He has also congratulated his colleagues on the feast of St. George.
"50 is a jubilee figure, but we should not be particularly happy, as the task facing us – to ensure security and stability in the region requires even greater efforts in order for it to be implemented," Murat Dzhioev stressed.
The point of view of the co-chairs
The EU Co-Chair Toivo Klaar has noted that they have a lot of important topics for discussion. “Since our summer meeting, some events have occurred that are not the most desirable, and I think everyone will agree with this. I believe that the issue of closing the checkpoints should be discussed, which, in my opinion, is an important issue that needs to be resolved. But, in general, we expect a productive conversation,” said Toivo Klaar.
Jihan Sultanoglu, co-chair of the UN, also expressed concern about the closure of the checkpoint, noting that this year the checkpoints on the Abkhaz border were closed rather than opened. "This is quite a disturbing topic for us and it should be given special attention. As for the non-use of force, this issue is one of the main points in the Geneva discussions, and I hope we will be able to bring new views and ideas, " she added.
Rudolf Mikhalka, the OSCE Co-Chair began his speech by congratulating the peoples of the Caucasus on the feast of St. George. “A positive assessment of the Geneva discussions is particularly important now, given the growing tension, and in this regard, we should strive for a quick de-escalation. I highly appreciate your commitment to addressing security issues at the IPRM technical meetings, which took place seven times,” he addressed the South Ossetian party.
According to Murat Dzhioev, everyone has a desire to find a way out of this situation. “One cannot fail to note the importance of technical meetings, and especially the hotline, which really became hot this month. These are important mechanisms and we intend to continue the work,” the Envoy noted.
The meeting continued without media representatives. It is also planned a meeting of the co-chairs with President of the Republic, Anatoly Bibilov.
