Parties of Geneva Debates on stability in Transcaucasia admit failure of talks

Experts are unanimous that the 12th round of Geneva Debates on safety and stability in Transcaucasia was not in much different from the previous ones in its futility.

The Geneva Debates have been held since October 2008 under the Sarkozy-Medvedev plan, adopted after the warfare in August 2008 in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The work goes in two groups: on safety issues and humanitarian problems. The 12th round took place on July 27.

According to the Abkhazian political scientist Irakli Khindba, the negotiations are in deadlock for the guilt of Tbilisi, which has driven them into a very tight political framework. "The Georgian party should change the attitude to the conflict and perceive it not as a Georgian-Russian one, but to speak about a Georgian-Abkhazian conflict," said the expert.

In Mr Khindba's opinion, at this background we see productive initiatives of the regional office of the European Union, which is preparing strategy of involvement without recognition, which is in many respects competing with the Georgian strategy of involvement through cooperation, the "Echo of the Caucasus" Radio reports.

The Georgian conflictology expert Paata Zakareishvili has stated that to increase the efficiency of debates it is necessary to restore the bilateral format of negotiations, namely: the Georgian-Abkhazian, Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Russian ones separately.

In its turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Russian Federation has accused Georgia of "absence of constructiveness" and "persistent unwillingness to find practical ways." "In this context we should also consider the draft resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations, brought in by Georgia and dealing with the situation with refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Abkhazia and South Ossetia," runs the official comment of the Russian MFA.

The 13th round of Geneva Debates on safety in Transcaucasia will take place on October 14.