STATEMENT by the Permanent Representative of Georgia to the OSCE at the Permanent Council
STATEMENT
by the Permanent Representative of Georgia
H.E. Alexander Maisuradze
on the 66th round of the Geneva International Discussions
at 1559th PC meeting
26 March, 2026
On 17-18 March, the 66th round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place.
We express our sincere appreciation to the OSCE, EU and UN co-chairs and our American partners for their efforts in the Geneva International Discussions. We thank delegations for their supportive statements.
In the light of worsening conditions in Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, as well as the broader challenges to European and global security, the relevance of the Geneva International Discussions has only increased. Under these circumstances, it is vital that discussions are result oriented, constructive, and participants reaffirm their shared commitment to the objectives outlined in the founding documents of the GID.
Following the long brake, at the 66th round of the Geneva International Discussions delegations were represented at a high level. It constitutes a significant step toward stabilization of the negotiation format and could serve as a turning point for restoring its full functionality and advancing the achievement of its core objectives.
During the 66th round, the Georgian delegation placed particular emphasis on the core agenda items related to the full implementation of the provisions of the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement by the Russian Federation and the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees to their homes. Georgian delegation underlined the importance of ensuring the regular functioning of Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms in both, Gali and Ergneti, in accordance with its founding principles. In this context, special emphasis was made on resuming the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in Gali without any preconditions.
At the same time, Georgia raised serious concerns regarding the grave security, humanitarian and human rights situation in the occupied regions, highlighting destructive actions of occupying regimes. Regrettably, as in previous rounds, the Russian side and representatives of the occupation regimes withdrew from the negotiations as soon as the issue of the return of internally displaced persons and refugees was raised. Such actions undermine meaningful dialogue and hinder progress on one of the central humanitarian issue.
Notably, the Russian Federation continues to violate the Ceasefire Agreement while pursuing policies that further deteriorate the security environment and worsen humanitarian and human rights conditions for people affected by the conflict.
We are deeply concerned by the continued steps toward the de facto annexation of Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions by the Russian Federation, including their transformation into military outposts, the installation of barbed wire fences and other artificial barriers deep inside the Georgian government controlled territory.
Equally unacceptable are ongoing efforts to exert pressure on the local population, including the illegal detention of ethnic Georgians on alleged charges of espionage, as well as the targeting of the Georgian language teachers with the aim of eliminating the Georgian language from the occupied territories. These actions of coercion and intimidation are a vivid testimony of grave violations of human rights.
The continued denial of access to international security and human rights mechanisms to Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions remains a matter of serious concern. The Russian Federation obstructs the ability of the international community to properly assess and respond to the situation on the ground. The European Union Monitoring Mission - the only international monitoring presence, in violation of its mandate, is still denied access to the occupied territories.
We are also concerned by the increasingly visible trend of isolating the Abkhazia region from the rest of Georgia, as well as the wider international community—a situation already entrenched in the Tskhinvali region. This policy of deliberate isolation includes pressure on international actors present on the ground, obstruction of confidence-building initiatives and the instrumentalization of humanitarian issues for political purposes.
Addressing these issues falls within the mandate of the Geneva International Discussions, and the severity of the situation in the occupied regions cannot be neglected.
We reiterate that the effectiveness of the Geneva International Discussions must be measured by concrete progress toward the full implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement. The format should therefore focus on identifying and advancing practical steps to achieve these objectives.
In this regard, we call upon the Russian Federation to demonstrate genuine willingness to engage constructively, refrain from attempts to shift discussions away from the core issues and fulfil its obligations under the Ceasefire Agreement, while respecting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Russia cannot portray itself as a mediator while simultaneously being a party to the conflict. Its obligations are clearly established in the founding documents of the Geneva International Discussions and have been reaffirmed by multiple international judicial rulings.
Georgia remains firmly committed to constructive and results-oriented dialogue and our objective remains clear: de-occupation and reintegration.
With the stabilization of the format and the high-level representation of participants, we sincerely hope that future rounds will bring substantive and constructive discussions.