Preparatory Meeting for the 64th Round of the Geneva International Discussions

On 2 June 2025, a preparatory meeting for the 64th round of the Geneva International Discussions was held in Tbilisi with the participation of the Co-Chairs from the European Union, the United Nations, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The meeting was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Georgian Delegation to the Geneva International Discussions Lasha Darsalia.

The discussions focused on the importance of effective functioning of the Geneva International Discussions, the next round of which is scheduled for 25-26 June of this year. The necessity of making progress on the key agenda items of the Geneva International Discussions – Russia’s compliance with its international obligations under the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, as well as return of internally displaced persons and refugees in the safe and dignified manner was stressed. Furthermore, the meeting emphasized the necessity to restore the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali without any preconditions and to hold regular meetings of the IPRM in Gali and Ergneti in full accordance with its founding principles.

The Georgian side discussed the dire security, humanitarian and human rights situation on the ground, focused on Russia’s and its occupation regimes’ destructive and illegal actions, as well as the attempts to hinder confidence-building efforts. Among other matters, the issue of simplifying the procedure for granting Russian citizenship to persons residing in the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia was raised. The Georgian side once again expressed concern over the illegal operation of Sokhumi airport and the launch of regular flights in the occupied region of Abkhazia, as well as over the launch of railway traffic and direct route of electric train in violation of international law.