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Geneva Discussions exclusive format for signing peace treaty with Georgia — Abkhazia PM

Geneva Discussions is the only platform for new Abkhazia's government to make its public political statements, UN representative Antti Turunen says

Abkhazia’s Prime Minister Beslan Butba ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Aleshkovsky/Archive

Abkhazia’s Prime Minister Beslan Butba

© ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Aleshkovsky/Archive

SUKHUM, October 10. /TASS/. Geneva Discussions on security in the South Caucasus is the only platform for talks between Georgia and Abkhazia on a peace treaty, Abkhazia’s new Prime Minister Beslan Butba said on Friday.

“The top priority is a peace treaty and non-resumption of combat operations,” Butba said at a meeting with co-chair of the Geneva Discussions from the United Nations Antti Turunen. “We were prepared to sign the treaty long ago as a threat of resuming the war had not been coming from us. Much depends on Georgia’s friends who should persuade it to sign the peace document.”

Turunen said that Abkhazia’s new government was focusing on the format of the Geneva Discussions which are the only platform for Abkhazia to make its public political statements.

The Geneva Discussions were held upon agreements reached by the Russian and French presidents after tragic events in August 2008 in South Ossetia and resulted in setting up the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRMs).

Since 2009 the meetings were held twice a month with representatives from Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, the UN and the European Union (EU), but the five-party mechanism terminated its activity in April 2012.

A new round of discussions took place on October 7-8 with delegations from South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia, and the United States, as well as representatives from the EU, UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). A new Geneva meeting is scheduled for December 2014.

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United Nations Georgia Abkhazia

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