Preparatory meeting for 65th round of Geneva International Discussions held in Tbilisi

A preparatory meeting for the 65th round of the Geneva International Discussions was held on Thursday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia with co-chairs from the European Union, the United Nations, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The Georgian side was led by Lasha Darsalia, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Georgian Delegation to the Geneva International Discussions.

The meeting focused on ensuring the effectiveness of the negotiation format. In this context, attention was given to the key agenda items of the Geneva International Discussions, the implementation of international obligations under the August 12, 2008, ceasefire agreement brokered by the EU, and the need to achieve progress on the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees.

The importance of resuming the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali without any preconditions, as well as holding the IPRM regularly in Gali and Ergneti in accordance with fundamental principles, was emphasised.

The Georgian side also strongly raised concerns regarding the acute security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in the occupied regions and along the occupation line.

Additionally, attention was drawn to attempts by the occupying regime to limit and block projects aimed at confidence-building in the Abkhazia region.

The 65th round of the Geneva International Discussions is scheduled to take place on November 11-12.