SUKHUMI. Jan 27 (Interfax) - Sukhumi and Tskhinvali will support Russia's position on the need for Georgia to sign an agreement on the non-use of force with Abkhazia and South Ossetia at upcoming negotiations in Geneva.
"The Abkhaz and South Ossetian delegations will support Russia's position insisting on Georgia's signing a non-use of force agreement with Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Vyacheslav Chirikba, an Abkhaz presidential advisor on international issues, told journalists in Sukhumi before leaving for Geneva.
"Such a document is important not only for Abkhazia and South Ossetia but also for the Caucasus on the whole, because everybody is interested in stability and security guarantees," he said.
"The previous meetings showed Georgia's unconstructive approach toward this issue, which is manifested in an attempt to tie non-use of force to the return of refugees. However, we believe that security issues and the problem of refugees are two different problems, which call for independent solutions," he said.
Geneva will host the 10th round of international discussions on security in the South Caucasus. Such discussions have been held in Geneva since October 2008. Taking part in them have been delegations from Russia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Georgia, and the U.S. and also representatives from the European Union, the UN, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).