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Abkhazia, South Ossetia concerned about activity of Georgian criminals at borders

The two republic’s representatives expressed their concerns at another round of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia

Bridge at Inguri, on the Georgia-Abkhazia border ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Astapkovich

Bridge at Inguri, on the Georgia-Abkhazia border

© ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Astapkovich

MOSCOW, December 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Abkhazia, South Ossetia are concerned about criminal activities at the border with Georgia, the two republic’s representatives said at another round of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia, Russia’s foreign ministry reported on Thursday.

“The participants in the meeting discussed the situation at the borders between Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Georgia,” the report reads. “Over several past years, the situation was stable and no major incidents were registered there. All the participants confirmed their intention to favour supporting the positive tendency in the region.”

“They also continued discussing the Russian initiative on a joint statement from all participants in the Geneva discussions on non-use of force to support unilateral obligations, undertaken by leaders of Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia in late 2010,” the Russian foreign ministry said. “Georgia’s lack of preparations have blocked once again work on the document. Co-chairs have promised to draft compromise suggestions on this most important issue by the next meeting in Geneva.”

“The participants expressed unanimous support for the regular functioning of joint mechanisms to prevent and react to incidents by the borders between Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Georgia, which have become effective instruments of exchanging field-level information on trust measures,” the foreign ministry said.

The working group on humanitarian aspects discussed the current situation in that sphere in Transcaucasia, the Russian foreign ministry reports. The participants expressed the common view to continue efforts in assisting citizens of Abkhazia, Georgia and South Ossetia, living close to the borders. Abkhazia’s representatives distributed among the participants materials on the Russian assistance to the development of the country’s social and economic situation.

The next meeting is due in late March of the coming year.

The round of the international discussions featured representatives of the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia and the Republic of South Ossetia, as well as Russia, the US, the European Union, the United Nations Organisation and OSCE. Russia was represented by deputy foreign minister - Grigory Karasin.

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