UN Chairperson Highlights Importance of Geneva Talks on Georgian Conflict Issues
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, January 18
(NEW YORK) --The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke about the importance of Geneva International Discussions which aim at addressing conflict issues on the territory of Georgia.
Guterres stated that resolving conflict situations require pushing the dangerous tide of nationalism back, and revitalizing the relevant mediation initiatives including the Normandy format and Trilateral Contact Group on Eastern Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh, the Geneva international discussions related to Georgia and the "5+2” process on Transnistria.
“A concerted effort for solutions leading to long-term stability in the Western Balkans is also urgent”, Guterres stated during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York on January 16.
He stated that considering two world wars, resources and capabilities in Europe, the existing conflicts are unjustified in the region.
The UN Secretary General also spoke about the climate change, migration problems and combating international terrorism.
The Geneva International Discussions have been the only format of dialogue between Georgia, Russia, and the representatives of Georgia’s two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
The discussions, with the help of international allies, aim to achieve agreements on conflict issues.
The 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and Russia, which now occupies 20 percent of Georgia’s historic land, covers issues including non-use of force, creation of international security arrangements in breakaway Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, and safe and dignified return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees.
However, Russia still refuses to meet the conditions of the deal.
