Stubb proposed consideration of a new negotiating format in the South Ossetian conflict

Press release 188/2008
30 May, 2008

Georgian Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili visited Helsinki on 30 May at the invitation of the OSCE CiO, Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb. The ministers discussed the situation in the Georgian conflict regions and the OSCE activities in Georgia.

Foreign Minister Stubb and Georgian Foreign Minister Tkeshelashvili discussed the situation in Georgian conflict regions and the OSCE activities in Georgia. Minister Tkeshelashvili briefed CiO Stubb on the recent parliamentary elections and developments in the Georgian breakaway regions, including the results of the investigations on the shooting down of the Georgian unmanned aerial vehicle on 20 April. She also expressed the Georgian interest to use the OSCE's confidence building measures to defuse tensions between Georgia and the Russian Federation.

Stubb expressed his serious concern over the situation in the Georgian breakaway regions and reiterated the OSCE's full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. He underscored the need for confidence building measures. "The OSCE confidence building mechanisms should be used by the participating States to calm tensions and foster dialogue. Guided by the prescribed procedures, the Chairmanship will do its best to assist in consultations between Georgia and Russia" said Stubb.

"The UN has a lead role in the peace efforts in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the OSCE concentrates its work on conflict resolution in South Ossetia, Georgia. I am concerned that the existing negotiating format in the South Ossetian conflict has not been conducive to the resolution of the conflict. It is time to explore possibilities for a new negotiating format that would be acceptable to the parties of the conflict", stated minister Stubb.

Further information: Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen, Head of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force, tel. +358 9 1605 5496, and Mikko Hautala, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5332

 

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