EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar Concludes Georgia Visit

Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia (EUSR), who visited Tbilisi on July 1-6, said he had “very useful discussions over five days with Georgian officials, civil society and international representatives.”

Klaar’s visit to Georgia came as the 51st round of Geneva International Discussions, which is co-chaired by the EUSR, has been postponed amid the “spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

At the meeting with Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani on July 3, the parties spoke of “grave security and humanitarian situation” in two Russia-occupied Georgian regions amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

With the EUSR Georgia’s chief diplomat raised the issues of “frequent provocations” from Russia, illegal “borderization”, closure of crossing-points connecting occupied regions with Georgia proper, as well as lack of access to medical assistance amid curbs imposed on freedom of movement by Abkhazia and Tskhinvali authorities.

The EU Special Representative discussed the current situation around the Moscow-backed regions with Head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili, as well as chair of parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Irakli Beraia.

Previously, Klaar visited Tbilisi, Tskhinvali and Moscow in February. He then held meetings with the Georgian, Ossetian and Russian interlocutors together with his fellow GID Co-Chairs from the United Nations and OSCE, Cihan Sultanoğlu and Rudolf Michalka, respectively.

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