Roy Reeve to Discuss Expansion of OSCE Mandate in Tskhinvali

The head of the OSCE Mission in Georgia, Ambassador Roy Reeve, intends to visit the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, on August 4 to hold talks with the de facto authorities of the region.

“The current situation in the conflict area and the expansion of the OSCE mandate will be discussed in [breakaway] South Ossetia. OSCE reiterates its support to peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Roy Reeve told reporters on August 3.

On July 31, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced Georgia’s proposal to expand the OSCE’s mandate in breakaway South Ossetia.

The statement reads that Georgia’s proposal to increase the number of OSCE observers in South Ossetia and deploy them on the Russian border “is impossible to realise.” Russian foreign ministry also cast doubts on impartiality of the OSCE observation.

Earlier today the head of the OSCE mission held a meeting with Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia Gela Bezhuashvili in order to discuss the recent developments in the breakaway region. 

On July 29 Salome Zourabichvili, the Georgian Foreign Minister, pushed the issue of increasing the OSCE’s involvement in the settlement of the South Ossetian conflict at the OSCE Permanent Council session in Vienna.