TBILISI. Sept 26 (Interfax) - Switzerland, which is acting as a broker in Georgia-Russia relations, has pledged to do everything it can to defuse the situation on the border between Georgia and South Ossetia, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis made the pledge at a meeting with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
The diplomats discussed the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including the recent events on the South Ossetian border. In that context, Cassis stressed the importance of further contact between the conflicting sides for de-escalating the tensions, the ministry said.
It was noted at the meeting that "Switzerland, which is acting as a broker in Georgia-Russia relations, will do its best to keep peace and stability," the ministry said.
Tensions broke out on the border between Georgia and South Ossetia in late August after Georgia opened a police post near the village of Chorchana. Tskhinval demanded that Tbilisi remove the post. Meanwhile, Georgia called for removing a border post placed by South Ossetia on a hill near Chorchana and the village of Tsnelis (Uista). Georgia, which denies recognition of the border with South Ossetia, accused Russia of backing construction of border fortifications by South Ossetia. Georgia called such actions unlawful and said they were creating tensions in the region.