Representatives of Russia and its occupation regimes, following their usual practice, left the negotiating table during one of the key agenda items — the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes in the occupied territories. As a result, like previous rounds, the 65th round of the Geneva International Discussions was disrupted, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, during the 65th round of the Geneva International Discussions, the Georgian side raised serious concerns about the grave security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in the occupied regions and the destructive actions of the occupation regimes.
“The 65th round of the Geneva International Discussions was held on November 11–12, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia, head of the Georgian delegation.
Within the framework of the negotiations, the Georgian delegation focused on the main agenda issues of the Geneva Discussions, including the need for Russia to fully comply with its international obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, and ensuring the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes in the occupied territories.
The importance of restoring the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali without any preconditions, as well as holding the IPRM meetings in Gali and Ergneti regularly and in line with their fundamental principles, was emphasized.
The Georgian side sharply raised concerns about the deteriorating security, humanitarian, and human rights conditions in the occupied regions and the destructive actions of the occupation regimes. Alarm was expressed over recent developments, such as the illegal reopening of the Sokhumi airport in violation of fundamental principles and norms of international law, the launch of regular flights, and the initiation of railway and maritime passenger connections between Russia and Sokhumi.
As in previous rounds, representatives of Russia and its occupation regimes left the negotiating table during one of the key discussions on the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes in the occupied territories. Consequently, the 65th round of the negotiations collapsed.
The Geneva International Discussions were established on the basis of the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, and their main topics include the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees, and addressing the security and humanitarian issues arising from Russia’s occupation,” the statement reads.
