Western countries are actually freezing negotiations within the framework of international Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia, the Russian Federation should take this into account, said Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs.
The EU, the UN, the OSCE co-chairs of the Geneva discussions did not notify the South Ossetian party of the postponement of the next round of discussions, scheduled for February. South Ossetia, in turn, canceled a meeting with the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia in Tskhinval, scheduled for February 7.
“A new cloud is coming over the South Caucasus. Westerners, in the heat of confrontation with Russia, are actually freezing a useful format of negotiations within the framework of the “Geneva discussions on security in the South Caucasus” (Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia, the United States with the OSCE, the UN and the European Union participation). .. Well, now the peoples of our common region with the South Caucasus will have to suffer and worry. We must take this into account and prepare," Karasin has written in his Telegram channel.
The politician has noted that the Geneva discussions were "a reliable safety net against exacerbations" in the South Caucasus region. "Russia has always responsibly participated in its work, as well as in the incident response mechanisms created as part of the Geneva Discussions. Probably, relative predictability no longer fits into Washington's plans," the parliamentarian concluded.
The Geneva Discussions are held regularly since October 2008. One of the main issues of the discussion is the signing of a document on the non-use of force. Moscow, Tskhinval and Sukhum are urging Tbilisi to sign this agreement, but Georgia, which does not recognize the independence of its former autonomies, insists that Russia must assume the obligation not to use force. South Ossetia and Abkhazia stressed that Georgia should conclude this agreement with the two republics, and not with the Russian Federation, which is not a party to the conflict.
