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Abkhazia finds worrisome NATO’s activity in Georgia — MFA

Irakly Tuzhba stressed that recently there had been periodic calls for opening "a so-called second front"

SUKHUM, June 29. /TASS/. The activities of NATO forces in the territory of Georgia cause serious concern in Abkhazia, Abkhazian Deputy Foreign Minister Irakly Tuzhba said at a meeting with the cochairs of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in the Southern Caucasus.

According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia, the next round of discussions is scheduled for July 11-12. The EU’s Special Representative for the Southern Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, UN representative Cihan Sultanoglu and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office's Special Representative for the South Caucasus Viorel Mosanu visited Abkhazia to discuss the agenda for the upcoming round.

"At the meeting with the co-chairs Tuzhba once again stressed that for the Abkhaz side the issue of signing a document on the non-use of force between Abkhazia and Georgia remained a key aspect of the Geneva discussions. He described the security situation in the region as relatively calm, noting that no serious incidents had been registered in the border zone over the reviewed period. At the same time, he said that a significant activity of NATO forces in the territory of Georgia was underway, which caused the most serious concern of the Abkhazian side," the Foreign Ministry said.

Tuzhba stressed that recently there had been periodic calls for opening "a so-called second front."

"In Abkhazia, such appeals cause reasonable concern. We treat these statements very carefully and seriously," Tuzhba said.

According to the press service of Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry, the participants in the meeting stressed the need for resuming "the activities of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali as one of the important elements of the Geneva Discussions." The Abkhazian side expressed its readiness once again to discuss the issue.

"The co-chairs stressed the importance of continuing the work to create the conditions for lasting security guarantees in the region. The consultations also included a discussion of humanitarian affairs related to the freedom of movement and other topical issues of the upcoming round of the Geneva discussions," the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry said.

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Georgia Abkhazia

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