Nicaraguan delegation visits Tskhinvali

The de facto South Ossetian Republic and the Republic of Nicaragua will sign a document in Tskhinvali on establishing diplomatic relations, the information agency Res has reported. The treaty will be signed during a Nicaraguan delegation’s three-day visit to Georgia’s breakaway region on April 13- 15. According to the de facto authorities Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel Santos Lopez will lead this delegation.

“During the visit we are expecting to sign a joint declaration on establishing diplomatic ties between the South Ossetian Republic and the Republic of Nicaragua,” the de facto South Ossetian Minister Murat Jioev said. “A protocol concerning consultations between the two Foreign Ministries of the two countries is also planned [to be signed],” the Jioev said, according to Res. The Nicaraguan officials will meet so-called South Ossetian MPs and de facto Foreign Ministry officials in Tskhinvali.

Georgian officials assess the visit of the Nicaraguan delegation to de facto South Ossetia as a violation of Georgian and international legislation. MP from the ruling National Movement Party and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration Davit Darchiashvili said that the visit and the planned signing of documents with Georgia’s breakaway region is an “unfriendly step”. “The Parliament will make an adequate reaction to this move, however we cannot say in advance what kind of reaction it will be,” he stated. “We will talk with the Nicaraguan people and Parliament and not the Government of President Ortega. He is an odious person, detached from international realities,” Darchiashvili told The Messenger. He added that such “curious things” happen in history from time to time. “Sooner or later everyone will bear responsibility for violating the norms of Georgian and international legislation,” Darchiashvili said.

Meanwhile the latest Incidents Prevention and Response Mechanism meeting in Georgia’s other breakaway region, Abkhazia, has once again produced no result. The Georgian delegation raised “traditional” issues, including defending the rights of the people living in the conflict zone and problems related to crossing the administrative border, but without achieving any agreements. The Georgian delegation, led by head of the Interior Ministry's Analytical Department Shota Utiashvili, also stressed the recent “illegal” crossing into Georgian territorial waters of Russian patrol boats.

The previous IPRM meeting, held in Gali on March 23, also ended with no result. An agreement to hold regular Incidents Prevention and Response Mechanism meetings was reached at the 6th round of Geneva talks on July 1, 2009.