Georgia and Russia have reached a deal in Swiss-brokered talks to reopen a major border crossing.
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Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said the two sides agreed on Wednesday that the Verkhny Lars transit point would open in March. Russia said “in theory” the crossing should open.
The crossing has been shut for the past three years and is the only major border transit between Russia and Georgia that does not go through the Russian-backed rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgia and Russia suspended diplomatic relations after the August 2008 war over South Ossetia and Switzerland has since represented the interests of both countries.
A European Union Commission report found that Georgia instigated the five-day conflict and stated that Russia’s reaction far exceeded the limits of defence. The conflict killed around 850 people and injured thousands more. More than 100,000 civilians fled their homes.
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Geneva hosts new round of Georgia-Russia talks
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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,”…
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The probe, commissioned by the European Union and headed by Heidi Tagliavini, also charged that much of Russia’s action “went far beyond” the limits of defence. The 1,000-page report, which sought to clarify what caused the war last August, said the conflict followed “long periods of increasing tensions, provocations and incidents” between the two countries.…
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War and peace, work and leisure, rich and poor, expected and unexpected: regular contacts between Switzerland and Russia go back to the 18th century.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.