Moscow Outlines Terms for Abkhaz Peace Process

A comprehensive peace process will only be possible if Tbilisi signs a treaty on the non-use of force and pulls out its troops from upper Kodori Gorge, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on July 11.

“Moscow and Sokhumi believe that a way out of the existing [tense] situation can be found only by stropping provocations and immediately signing a document on the non-use of force in respect of both conflicts [in Abkhazia and South Ossetia], and in the case of Abkhazia [these measures] should be accompanied with the total withdrawal of Georgian troops from the upper Kodori Gorge,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Only after this will it be possible to resume dialogue on confidence building, economic rehabilitation and on other aspects of [conflict] resolution,” it added.

Officials in Tbilisi have repeatedly ruled out a withdrawal of Georgian police forces from upper Kodori Gorge, which is the only part of breakaway Abkhazia under Tbilisi control.

Tbilisi also maintains that Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia are incapable of acting as guarantors of a non-use of force agreement. In any case, the Georgian side insists that such a treaty must include a provision binding Sokhumi to secure the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to Abkhazia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in its statement that it would continue to perform its peacekeeping role in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“Under existing conditions, the Russian Federation will maintain its consistent peacekeeping efforts in accordance with its role as a major mediator in both conflict zones, which aims at preventing catastrophy,” it said.

The statement was made in connection with a meeting between Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on July 10.

The two sides, according to the statement, had expressed “serious concern” over recent tensions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which they blamed on “the Georgian side’s provocative actions.”

“Sergey Bagapsh was informed about political-diplomatic steps undertaken by the Russian Federation, particularly in the UN and OSCE, aimed at attracting the international community’s attention to the current situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which is on the verge of a large-scale crisis due to Tbilisi’s aggressive policy,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.