Georgia Offers Change of CIS Peacekeepers’ Mandate

(Tbilisi, May 10, Civil.ge) – Georgian Foreign Minister offers concrete proposals to change Russian peacekeepers’ mandate, deployed in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS].

“Widening of the security zone and withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers’ military hardware deeper into the Gali district of Abkhazia, creation of measures for the return of the IDPs in Gali district and creation of the temporary administration in the Gali under the aegis of UN, OSCE and CIS is considered with our proposal,” Kakha Sikharulidze, Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman stated at the news briefing on May 10.

The Georgian side at the meeting of representatives of the experts from the Russian and Georgian Foreign Ministries, UNOMIG and Russian peacekeepers on May 7-8 in Tbilisi suggested these proposals.

“This was the first meeting of this kind so we do not anticipate the prompt implementation of those entire proposals mentioned above,” Georgian Foreign Ministry official said.