South Ossetia Talks Conclude with Final Protocol

The Georgian and South Ossetian sides signed a protocol on July 15, after two days of negotiations in frames of the quadripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC), held in the Russian capital of Moscow.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valeri Loshchinin, who was also participating in the talks, voiced the provisions of the final protocol after the talks.

?The sides agreed to stop escalation of tensions in the conflict zone. The sides say no to the use of force or economic means of pressure. This is a very important provision of the agreement,? Valeri Loshchinin told reporters.

He also said that members of the commission pledged to follow commitments undertaken by a protocol that was signed on June 2 in Tskhinvali in frames of the Joint Control Commission.

According to the June 2 protocol Georgia has to pull out its extra troops from the conflict zone. The protocol also envisages the deployment of Russian helicopters for the joint peacekeeping forces deployed in the conflict zone.

Valeri Loshchinin also said that that the sides will appoint representatives to work on a permanent basis over the defusing of tensionsl, who ?will be based in Tskhinvali [capital of breakaway South Ossetia],? he noted.

Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava, who was representing the Georgian side at the JCC session in Moscow, told reporters that the signing of the agreement was a positive step.

He described the protocol as ?an intermediate agreement,? which will pave the way for further progress.

The Georgian side tried to push the issue of setting up a joint Russian-Georgian checkpoint at the Roki Pass in South Ossetia, which links the breakaway region with its neighboring Russia?s North Ossetian Republic, but their efforts were in vain.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian)