Sukhumi, Tbilisi Reiterate Commitment to Non-Resumption of Hostilities

At the meeting in breakaway Abkhaz capital Sukhumi on May 20 both Georgian and Abkhaz sides reiterated their commitment to the non-resumption of hostilities and the settlement of all disputes exclusively by peaceful means, Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Georgia, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini said in a statement issued after the talks.

Security guarantees in the conflict zone were discussed at the UN-sponsored talks between Georgian State Minister Goga Khaindrava, who is in charge of conflict resolution and Abkhaz de facto Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba in Sukhumi.

Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini chaired talks, which was also attended by the representatives of the UN Secretary-General Group Friends ? France, Germany, Russia, Great Britain and the U.S.

The sides stressed the importance of resumption of patrolling Kodori gorge, which is the only part of breakaway Abkhazia under the Georgian side?s control.

?The sides stressed the importance of the full-fledged resumption of patrolling in the Kodori Valley and pledged their assistance. The sides could also consider joint observation visits to the Kodori Valley with Georgian and Abkhaz participation,? Ambassador Tagliavini said in her statement. 

?The sides welcomed the establishment, at the initiative of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN, a special high-ranking stand-by mission on the Kodori Valley from of the UN Headquarters, which could come, as necessary, for an assessment of the situation in the area at short notice,? she added.