SUKHUM, December 15. /TASS/. The sdies have once again failed to sign a joint statement on adherence to the principle of non-use of force at the 38th round of Geneva Discussions on security and stability in the South Caucasus, the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry’s press service said on Thursday.
"Main attention at the meeting was made at working on developing a joint statement on adherence to the principle of non-use of force, which would serve as an important step toward signing a legally binding agreements on non-use of force between Georgia and Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia, as the main aim of the Geneva Discussions," the press service said. "All sides, except Georgia, were ready to adopt a draft statement put forward by co-chairs and coordinated with the sides. However, the adoption was once again disrupted due to unconstructive approach of the Georgian delegation," the press service added.
The topics discussed at the talks included non-recognition of vital documents issues in Abkhazia (birth certificates, high school diplomas, university diplomas) and "not objective and politicized reports of structures of the European Union and OSCE on human rights violations in Abkhazia, quarterly reports of the Georgian Foreign Ministry on human rights in Abkhazia and South Ossetia," the press service noted.
The Geneva Discussions on security and stability in the South Caucasus are the only platform for a dialogue between Georgia and the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. They are held under the auspices of the UN, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with participation of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia and the United States.
The Geneva Discussions were held upon agreements reached by the Russian and French presidents after tragic events in August 2008 in South Ossetia when Georgia attacked it. That entailed Russia's peacemaking operation in the region. Soon after that Moscow recognized independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.