Geneva hosts new round of Georgia-Russia talks
"Constructive" discussions took place at a one-day meeting held between Georgia and Russia in Geneva, the EU special representative for Georgia said on Wednesday.
The talks, aimed at finding an accord on security arrangements, were the sixth since armed forces from the two sides clashed over the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia last August.
Pierre Morel, one of the co-chairman of the meeting, told a media conference afterwards that the talks had sometimes been “difficult, without being dramatic,” but said that they confirmed the dynamic of the Geneva process.
The two sides agreed to meet again on September 17.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Russia and Georgia as well as of the two regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both of which broke away from Georgia as a result of the fighting.
Just two days before the talks began, 8,500 Russian troops started their biggest military exercises in the Caucasus since the 2008 conflict.
The talks also come one day after the expiry of the mandate held by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the region.
Russia is opposed to renewing the OSCE mandate and United Nations mission in the conflict zone.
Switzerland represents Russian interests in Georgia.
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said at a meeting last week in Bern with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, that Switzerland could be a valuable partner for Moscow in its negotiations with the OSCE.
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