29th round of Geneva International Discussions completed in a constructive atmosphere

The twenty-ninth session of the Geneva International Discussions has just been completed.

All participants reconfirmed their commitment to the Geneva Discussions as an important platform  to  strengthen  the  security  and  stability  on  the  ground  and  to  address  the humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected population. The discussions in both Working Groups took place in a constructive and positive atmosphere.

In Working Group I, the participants began their discussion with a review of the security situation on the ground. The Co-Chairs and all participants have assessed the overall security situation as calm and stable. The participants exchanged views on non-use of force, international security arrangements, as well as best practices and cooperation. They have agreed to continue working on a draft joint statement by participants on non-use of force at the next Geneva round.

The participants welcomed the constructive work done within the Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and once again called for the early resumption of the Gali IPRM.

In Working Group II, the participants addressed humanitarian issues by reviewing the developments that occurred on the ground since the previous round. Amongst others, they discussed issues such as freedom of movement, missing persons, cultural heritage and access to water.

The Co-Chairs and the Co-Moderators called on the participants to address relevant issues in greater depth in the framework of the Geneva Discussions, as well as to make full use of the IPRM meetings to follow-up on issues affecting the lives of the population on the ground.

The participants agreed to hold their next session on 9-10 December 2014.