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17th round of Transcaucasia security talks to be held in Geneva

The Russian side, as is known, stands ready to act as a guarantor of peace, stability and security in the region - the RF Foreign Ministry

GENEVA, October 4 (Itar-Tass) — The seventeenth round of discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia will be held here on Tuesday. Taking part in the consultations held under the auspices of the UN, EU and OSCE, are delegations from the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the United States, Russia, Republic of South Ossetia. The discussion will take place in the traditional format of two working groups - on security and on humanitarian issues.

The RF Foreign Ministry informed in a press release on the eve of the meeting that “the issue of ensuring lasting security of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the conditions of the creation in the Caucasus of a new system of international relations, reliable prevention of recurrence of armed conflicts and revenge attempts remains the main priority.” “The issue of the non-use of force between the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the one side, and Georgia - on the other side, is still not fully settled. The Russian side, as is known, stands ready to act as a guarantor of peace, stability and security in the region,” the ministry emphasised.

“We’re hoping for continuing joint constructive efforts within the framework of the mechanisms to prevent and respond to incidents on the borders of Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia, which proved to be useful instruments of confidence building and transparency in border areas,” it noted.

“It is necessary to analyse their work in the past few months in order to consider the possible way to enhance the effectiveness of the mechanisms' operation, emphasizing timely prevention of incidents and decreasing tensions on the border of the three states,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Russian delegation is headed by State Secretary - Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, the South Ossetian – by the republic's Presidential Envoy on post-conflict settlement Boris Chochiyev, Abkhazian – by Presidential Adviser on Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Chirikba, Georgian – by Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Bokeria.

The discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia have been held for nearly three years based on arrangements between the Presidents of Russia and France reached after the tragic events of August 2008 in South Ossetia.