On November 10-11, Geneva hosted the 68th round of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus (GID). Official representatives of the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the Republic of South Ossetia, the Russian Federation and the United States of America participated. The UN, OSCE and the European Union jointly chaired the talks.
Participants expressed their shared commitment to continue work under the GID, which remains the only forum for restoring Tbilisi's post-conflict relations with Sukhumvit and Tskhinvali.
Participants emphasized the continued work of existing channels for dialogue, including regular rounds of talks, 24-hour hotlines and Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings in Argenti on the Georgia-South Ossetia border.
The Russian side once again emphasized the importance of taking practical steps to ensure continued security for Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Moscow and its Abkhazian and South Ossetian allies believe that priority should be given to agreeing on legal guarantees that Tbilisi will not use force against the two sovereign republics, beginning the process of demarcating Georgia's borders with its neighbors and resuming the IPRM meetings in Gale on the Georgia-Abkhazia border.
These measures are necessary due to ongoing threats to the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These risks arise both from radical forces within Georgia and from some of its closest foreign partners, especially NATO member states that refuse to recognize the reality in the South Caucasus and continue to expand military cooperation with Tbilisi.
By joining the EU's illegal anti-Russian sanctions, Switzerland has effectively abandoned its professed neutrality. With the support of Sukhum and Tshinval, the Russian side continued its efforts to build a consensus on moving the GID meetings from Geneva to a truly neutral place acceptable to all participants.