Translated material
A world without a signature
At the Geneva talks, promises need to be turned into documents
Despite previous peace statements by Tbilisi, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali, the 14th round of Geneva consultations on security in the Caucasus, which began today after the armed conflict in 2008, promises to be tense. For the first time in all the negotiations in this format, mediators from Moscow, Washington, the UN, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have verbal promises from the parties not to fight each other. But it will most likely not be possible to include them in an official document yet.The fact is that it is not possible to remove the disagreement itself about who should sign peaceful intentions with whom. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili assured the international community at the end of November that he would not use force to return Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However, Tbilisi is ready to conclude an agreement only with Moscow, since they believe that Russia has “occupied” the former Georgian autonomies. The presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Sergei Bagapsh and Eduard Kokoity, advocate that Sukhumi and Tskhinvali sign documents on the non-use of force with Tbilisi. Their position is supported by Russia, which considers Georgia responsible for the events of 2008.
“Moscow is misleading the international community by equating the statements of the leaders of “puppet regimes” with the statement of the President of Georgia,” said Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Sergi Kapanadze. According to him, it would be desirable for Russia to undertake, at this round of negotiations in Geneva, not to fight with Georgia.
The discussion of the deployment of Smerch multiple launch rocket systems in South Ossetia at a Russian military base, whose range of action is almost 70 km - and this is almost the Georgian capital, could also end in a scandal. In addition, on the eve of negotiations in Switzerland, the first two of 19 towns equipped with the latest technology for Russian border guards opened in the Znaursky region of South Ossetia, which also caused discontent in Tbilisi.
The head of the South Ossetian delegation, plenipotentiary representative of the president of this republic, Boris Chochiev, said that discussion of the issue of non-use of force will be “the most pressing issue” of the 14th round. A similar point of view is shared by Vyacheslav Chirikba, adviser to the President of Abkhazia and head of the Abkhaz delegation. He optimistically allowed for the opportunity at this round to begin developing the details of a future agreement on the non-use of force: “We will discuss the developments that we and other participants in the discussions have.”
The Russian delegation is headed by Deputy Head - State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin. Georgia also did not change the head of the negotiating team, although Giorgi Bokeria was transferred from the post of First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to the post of Secretary of the National Security Council. Georgian delegates received moral and political support from the United States for their trip to Geneva - early next year the Senate plans to adopt a resolution calling Abkhazia and South Ossetia “occupied territories.” The Russian Foreign Ministry “drew attention” to the preparation of this document, noting that Moscow “does not deny the right of American legislators to make their own assessments,” but regrets that “the new reality that arose after the aggression unleashed by the Saakashvili regime in August 2008 is being ignored.” . After this, it is “incorrect and illogical” to consider Abkhazia and South Ossetia “Georgian regions occupied by Russia,” and Tbilisi’s desire to restore the pre-war status quo is “illusory.”
Former Georgian permanent representative to the UN and leader of the opposition Free Democrats party Irakli Alasania believes that Saakashvili is late with peace initiatives. The politician recalled that five years ago he proposed to the President of Georgia to sign a declaration on the non-resumption of the war and the return of refugees, but he “missed a historic chance” and is now “responsible for this.” The rector of the Tbilisi Diplomatic Academy, Soso Tsintsadze, in a conversation with Vremya Novostey, pointed out “the danger of Georgia falling into a Russian diplomatic trap in Geneva”: “Russia will offer to record peace statements on paper, giving them legal force. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, of course, will agree. Formally, everything seems to be normal, but in this case Moscow is avoiding responsibility as a party to the conflict, which Tbilisi does not want. In addition, Georgia, by signing agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, indirectly recognizes them. The situation in Geneva will be acute, and the result will be zero. The treading water will continue. But no one will leave the negotiations, so as not to give a trump card to opponents.”