OSCE Chairmanship says Geneva Discussions vital for stability

GENEVA, 11 November 2009 - The Greek OSCE Chairmanship described today's eighth round of Geneva Discussions as further evidence of their importance for stability in the Caucasus region.

"It was encouraging to see that the participants, while having differences, engaged in pragmatic discussions on the elements of a potential agreement on the non-use of force and international security arrangements provided by the three Co-Chairs," said Ambassador Charalampos Christopoulos, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

"Ultimately, stability and security in this troubled region depend on the ability of the participants to keep in mind the bigger picture as well as the important details of any agreement. In this respect, the Geneva Discussions are the best - indeed the only - way ahead as we seek to ensure stability in the region."

He and the other two co-chairs - Ambassador Johan Verbeke of the UN and Ambassador Pierre Morel of the EU - agreed with the participants that the next meeting would be in Geneva on 28 January 2010. Ambassador Bolat Nurgaliev, who will be Kazakhstan's Special Representative during his country's OSCE Chairmanship next year, accompanied Christopoulos at the Geneva Discussions.

The discussions took place in two parallel working groups. One group looks at security and stability in the region and the other deals with humanitarian questions.

Christopoulos urged participants to focus on practical actions of mutual benefit during the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meetings dealing with Georgian-Ossetian matters. He also expressed concern about a recent spate of detentions and urged the sides to avoid future incidents of this kind.

Christopoulos said he had met on the sidelines with South Ossetian and Georgian representatives to discuss questions related to gas and water supplies between communities.