Kazakhstan, Astana, Dec. 1 / Trend A. Maratov /
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged to restore the presence of the OSCE mission to Georgia, whose "territorial integrity is unequivocally supported by the United States."
"Everyone in this hall should allow for restoring the OSCE's significant role, its presence in Georgia," Clinton said at the OSCE summit in Astana.
According to Clinton, the United States will do everything possible to ensure that both sides recognize and fulfill the 2008 ceasefire agreement.
"In this regard, we particularly welcome President Mikheil Saakashvili's commitment to the non-use of force unilaterally," Clinton said.
Military actions were launched in the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia in August 2008. Georgian troops entered Tskhinvali, with Russian troops later occupying the city. The Russian armed forces then drove the Georgian military back into Georgia proper. Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on Aug. 26 and established diplomatic ties with the de facto states on Sept. 9, 2008.
The OSCE observation mission in Georgia ceased its work in June 2009. Russia vetoed the continuation of its operations, underscoring the organization's "non-impartiality."
Security in the OSCE countries is one of the main topics on the summit agenda. The summit is an outstanding event in Kazakhstan's political life since independence. It runs today and tomorrow and brings together the heads of states and governments of all member countries and 12 partner countries and the heads of 68 international organizations.
As the OSCE is a consultative body, the only way to discuss urgent issues is to meet at such summits. Over the years, the situation with global security and threats has changed dramatically, and the summit creates an opportunity to discuss these issues.