Lasha Darsalia, the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia, on Friday said the Georgian delegation would raise “several topics” at the 60th round of Geneva International Discussion - a platform facilitating talks on the outcomes of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war - but added Russia was “avoiding” the issues and “showing quite destructive attitudes” in the engagements.

Darsalia said the subjects would include fulfilment of the European Union-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the conflict and its clauses, like the withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia’s now-Russian-occupied territories, discussion of international security mechanisms and return of internally displaced Georgian citizens to their homes.

Unfortunately, Russia is avoiding talking about all these issues and showing quite destructive attitudes. To tell you that we expect to fix this [issue] at this round, no, it is not the case”, the official said.
“Also, there are quite serious humanitarian issues. We have a humanitarian background. Unfortunately, ethnic discrimination continues, the main victims of which are, first of all, ethnic Georgians, but not only them”, he said in reference to developments in the occupied regions.

“This is about illegal ‘borderisation’, arrests [by occupation forces] - which unfortunately resulted in killings of Georgian citizens last year - as well as discrimination on various grounds such as education in native language, restriction of freedom of movement and so on”, the First Deputy Foreign Minister continued.  

The official stressed support offered by international partners during the negotiations was “particularly important”.

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