Georgia holds talks for OSCE mission’s return

Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze addressed the 19th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Dublin, where she stressed the importance of the return of the OSCE mission to Georgia.

The ministerial meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of 57 countries.

"OSCE left Georgia, and we want the mission to return to the country. I have spoken about just this possibility," Panjikidze told reporters Friday.

The OSCE mission was withdrawn from Georgia at the request of Russia following the conflict in the country in 2008.

According to Panjikidze, in her speech, she also touched upon the role of the OSCE in the conflict resolution process as the organisation is a party to the Geneva talks.

Panjikidze also met with the foreign ministers of Denmark, Switzerland and Serbia. She is also scheduled to meet with the president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Secretary General and High Commissioner for Media and High Commissioner for Ethnic Minorities of the OSCE.

The format of the Geneva talks was established after the armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement dated August 12.

Military action was launched against the Georgian territory of South Ossetia on Aug.8 in 2008. Later Russian troops occupied the city of Tskhinvali and drove the Georgian military back. Russia recognised the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in late August. In response, Tbilisi broke off diplomatic relations with Moscow and announced the two unrecognised republics as being occupied territories.


/Trend/