UN, EU Representatives Visit Separatist Russian-occupied Georgian Regions
On November 9, the Geneva International Discussions (GID) co-chairs, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar, and the UN Representative Ayşe Cihan Sultanoğlu, visited the separatist Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia.
According to the de-facto South Ossetian Foreign Ministry, the separatist Tskhinvali Region reiterated its stance on the necessity of signing the non-use of force agreement while emphasizing the need to enhance the current system of regional security and stability. "The GID model would continue to operate despite the difficult global geopolitical scenario," Tskhinvali stated. The Tskhinvali representatives expressed worries over the ongoing foreign powers' military enlargement in Georgia's territory. They asserted that Georgia's biological research facilities posed a danger.
On the same day, the GID Co-chairs met with Irakli Tuzhba, the de-facto Abkhaz Deputy Foreign Minister, in Sokhumi. The agenda for the 57th round of the GID discussions was the primary subject of the meeting. Tuzhba stated that the agreement on the non-use of force is still their top priority on the GID agenda at this time. In that regard, Tuzhba bemoaned the lack of advancement in that area and cited Georgia's destructive posture as the cause. The freedom of movement for those with Abkhaz citizenship was another problem brought up by Tuzhba, who also emphasized the growing importance of recognizing Abkhaz national passports as valid travel papers. In his view, Abkhazia was the target of unfair treatment, which is a significant humanitarian issue that must be addressed. He supported his claim by citing prior instances where members of the international community had decided to accept disputed travel papers to facilitate travel and resolve humanitarian issues.