Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the 62nd round of the Geneva International Discussions

On 5 and 6 November 2024, the 62nd round of the Geneva International Discussions took place, with Georgia’s delegation led by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lasha Darsalia.

The discussions are co-chaired by the European Union, the United Nations, and the OSCE,with the participation of Georgia, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America.

Among the participants were the Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, Levan Mgaloblishvili, and the Head of the Administration of the temporary Administrative-Territorial unit on the territory of the former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia, Tamaz Bestaev, along with representatives of Russia's occupation regime in Tskhinvali and Sokhumi.

The Georgian delegation emphasized the need for Russia to fulfill the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and the importance of the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees to their homes - core agenda items of the Geneva International Discussions.

Georgia’s delegation highlighted the severe security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in the occupied regions and the destructive actions of the occupation regimes. Unfortunately the representatives of the Russian Federation and the occupation regimes, employing their established practice, once again left the negotiations on one of the main agenda items, namely the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees.

The Geneva International Discussions (GID) were launched on the basis of the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and its main topics are implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement, and safe and dignified return of IDPs and refugees to their homes, as well as security and humanitarian problems stemming from Russian occupation.