The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a written statement following the 67th round of the International Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus held in Geneva.
The statement said that the Russian side, in accordance with the current mandate of the talks, strongly called for concrete steps to guarantee the solid security of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia.
Goal of a legally binding agreement
The ministry's statement indicated that this call includes the preparation of a legally binding non-use of force agreement between Georgia and the two sovereign republics.
"The signing of such an agreement would not only give concrete impetus to the negotiation process under the auspices of the International Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus, but also make a significant contribution to strengthening stability in the region," it said.
NATO emphasis
The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the proposed steps have gained importance in the context of further increasing interaction between NATO and Georgia.
The statement said, "The relevance of the steps proposed by Russia and its Abkhaz and South Ossetian allies is rising against the backdrop of further increasing interaction between the NATO bloc and Georgia. This includes the holding of exercises and other military training activities by this aggressive alliance on the territory of the South Caucasus country."
Broad participation in talks
The International Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus were held in Geneva on June 30 - July 1. The meetings were attended by official representatives of Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia, Russia and the United States. The UN, OSCE and the European Union co-chaired the talks.
