The FINANCIAL — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Grigory Karasin, met with U.S. Deputy Assistance Secretary of State Matthew Bryza in Moscow on November 1 and discussed issues related with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Civil. ge reports.
It said that the matter was discussed in the context of “providing security” for these regions and also in respect of “upcoming international contacts” on these issues – a reference to the Geneva talks planned for November 18.
According to Ria Novosti, Russia based, The European Union could resume in November talks on a new cooperation pact with Russia, temporarily put on hold last month over Russia's military operation in Georgia, the Bernard Kouchner, French foreign minister has said.
The 27-nation bloc announced on September 1 that it had suspended talks on the partnership and cooperation agreement with Russia over Moscow's presence in Georgia and would not resume the negotiation process until the country pulled all its troops in Georgia back to their pre-conflict positions.
Although Moscow completed its troop pullout from a buffer zone in Georgia earlier this month, questions remain over the scale of its presence in South Ossetia. Furthermore, some EU member-states said they wanted to see progress in talks on the future of South Ossetia and Abkhazia – recognized by Russia as independent states – before discussing relations with Moscow.
The issue of the disputed Georgian republics will be discussed at the international talks in Geneva on November 18. The first round of international talks on the Georgian conflict in Geneva earlier this month was suspended until November, due to concerns over the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, recognized by Russia as independent states.
According to Kommersant, Russia based newspaper, on October 30, the State Duma unanimously voted for ratifying friendship treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali make no secret of the fact that the treaties eliminate the last impediment to deploying Russia’s military bases in the two Caucasian republics. The relations of the three parties will focus on military interaction mainly: it is planned to draft and sign agreements for joint border guarding and military cooperation in the near future.
Moscow legalized its relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian MPs followed President Dmitry Medvedev’s request and timely ratified friendship treaties with the republics – the head of state introduced the documents to the lower chamber of the Parliament last week. According to Chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev, “the treaties are in line with Russia’s national interests, with their wording being the same as in the treaties concluded with other friendly states”.
According to The Associated Press, U.S. based news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin criticized Georgia for deploying special forces to the areas near Abkhazia and South Ossetia, saying that creates an "explosive" situation in the region. Georgian officials have said they can deploy police forces wherever they deem it necessary.Russia has said it fully met its commitments under a peace deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy which obliged Moscow to withdraw its forces from areas outside Georgia's breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The European Union deployed its monitors to the areas after the Russian pullout.
But Georgia has accused the Kremlin of breaking its commitments under the peace deal by keeping large numbers of troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and failing to withdraw from areas which had been under Georgian control before the war, AP reported.
“The war in Georgia has badly strained Russia's relations with the United States and the EU, which have criticized Moscow for a disproportionate use of force and its decision to recognize the independence of Georgia's breakaway provinces”.
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