Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 17 /Trend, I.Huseynov/
The Geneva Discussions resulted in steps towards gradual normalization of the situation on the ground, said Bolat Nurgaliyev, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, following a meeting in Geneva on Thursday.
Nurgaliyev and the other two Co-Chairs of the Geneva Discussions, Pierre Morel of the EU and Antti Turunen of the UN noted progress has been achieved during 2010, said in the press release from the OSCE.
"The unilateral commitment by the President of Georgia formalized in official letters addressed to five international organizations and the President of the United States, should be seen as a major step in the right direction. Formal reactions from Tskhinvali and Sukhumi testify to this. Another positive development was the resumption of the Dvani/Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism", Nurgaliyev said.
According to him, providing gas and water will make a real difference to the quality of life for the affected people. "I am happy that the OSCE can contribute concretely to these important matters", he said
The dialogue to restore stability in the Georgian breakaway regions is conducted under the Geneva talks, which have been held since October 2008 on the basis of agreements reached after the events in South Ossetia in August 2008.
The Geneva talks are attended by delegations from Georgia, Russia, the United States, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia, as well as representatives from the EU, U.N. and OSCE. The only result of these meetings so far has been a document containing proposals for mechanisms to prevent and resolve incidents in the zone of the Georgian conflict.
The Co-Chairs and the participants welcomed Giedrius Cekuolis who will be Lithuanian Special Representative for Protracted Conflicts during his country's OSCE Chairmanship next year.
The discussions took place in two parallel working groups. One group dealing with security and stability and the other with humanitarian questions, including internally displaced persons and refugees.
The next meeting will be in Geneva on 4 March 2011.