Press Communiqué of the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions

GENEVA, Switzerland, 18 March 2015 - The thirty-first round of the Geneva International Discussions has just been concluded. It turned out to be very difficult due to divergent views and approaches of participants on various issues, including on certain agenda items. As part of the review of the security situation, the participants commented on the “Treaty on Alliance and Integration” signed today by Moscow and Tskhinvali. The Co-Chairs regretted that such a development took place on the same day as this round, thus creating a difficult climate in the discussions.

In Working Group I dealing with security issues, the participants assessed the general security situation on the ground as stable and calm since the previous round in December 2014. The participants continued to exchange views on the non-use of force, international security arrangements, as well as freedom of movement and travel abroad. They also continued to engage in the work on a draft joint statement by all participants on non-use of force, on which they registered some progress.

In addition, the participants reviewed and welcomed the continued good cooperation within the Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and reiterated their call for an early resumption of the Gali IPRM.

In Working Group II, the participants reviewed the developments related to the humanitarian sphere that occurred since the previous round. Among others, they touched upon issues related to freedom of movement, missing persons, cultural heritage and education. The exchange on issues related to returns of IDPs and refugees could not be completed.

The Co-Chairs regret that the discussions of this round could not be fully exhausted due to a dispute over the agenda.

The participants agreed to hold their next round on 30 June – 1st July 2015.