The ninth round of talks, with the participation of representatives of Georgia, US, Russia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and mediated by EU, OSCE and UN, was held in two working groups - one dealing with security and another with humanitarian issues. During the talks negotiators in the security working group failed to make progress while discussing a document presented by co-mediators at the previous rounds on “basic elements of a framework for an agreement on the non-use of force and international security arrangements.”

Moscow insists on signing of non-use of force treaties between Tbilisi and Sokhumi and Tbilisi and Tskhinvali/Tskhinval; Tbilisi strongly opposes such an arrangement, instead offering to sign a non-use of force treaty with Moscow, which should also include international security mechanisms in the breakaway regions in the form of an international presence there with eventual “de-occupation” of these regions.

"We see no results from these discussions, both in security issues, and in the humanitarian sphere. Therefore, we'll have different approach to the conversation", underlined Boris Chochiev, the Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement.

The participants agreed to hold the next round of discussions on March 30, co-mediators said.

Earlier, on January 27, The Georgian government endorsed a document –“State Strategy on Occupied Territories: Engagement Through Cooperation” -laying out Tbilisi’s vision towards the two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“The key element of the document is that we say no to any type of isolation of these regions; residents of these regions are citizens of Georgia so we can not allow isolation of these regions,” Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian state minister for reintegration, said.

As reported by Civil.ge, the U.S. and French embassies in Tbilisi released statementson January 28 welcoming the Georgian government’s strategy towards the breakaway regions.

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