Georgia, Tbilisi, June 27 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Russia to accept a commitment on non-use of force against Georgia. He said this during a meeting with youth and students in the National Library of Georgia in Tbilisi.
"I know that Georgia has unilaterally taken this commitment and publicly stated this, so I call on Russia to assume the same commitment," the Secretary General of NATO said.
In the framework of the Geneva consultations the day before, head of the Russian delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that Russia will not take any such commitment before Georgia and that Tbilisi should conclude similar agreements with Sukhumi and Tskhinvali.
"We applaud the efforts of the new government to settle relations with Russia, and we believe that this approach is aimed at resolving the conflicts in Georgia," Rasmussen said.
The Geneva talks were convened after the armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement of August 12.
Large scale military action was launched in South Ossetia on August 8, 2008. Later, Russian troops occupied Tskhinvali and expelled the Georgian military.
Russia recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in late August. In response, Tbilisi broke diplomatic relations with Moscow and has called the two unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occupied territories.