Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia on the 63rd Round of the Geneva International Discussions
The 63rd round of the Geneva International Discussions was held on 4-5 March, 2025, where the Georgian delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lasha Darsalia.
Georgian delegation made special emphasis on the core agenda items of the Geneva International Discussions related to the necessity of full implementation of the provisions of the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement by Russian Federation, and the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees to their homes.
Emphasis was also placed on the importance of restoring the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Gali without any preconditions and ensuring that the mechanism is held regularly in both Gali and Ergneti in accordance with its fundamental principles.
Within the framework of the 63rd round, the Georgian delegation expressed concern over the dire security, humanitarian and human rights situation in the occupied regions, the ongoing illegal militarization, and in this context, the construction of Russia’s illegal naval base in Ochamchire and the operation of Sokhumi airport. The Georgian side also condemned the so-called presidential elections held in the occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia and today’s meeting of the Russian president with the leader of the occupation regime, which represent further steps toward annexation and a blatant violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The representatives of the Russian Federation and its occupation regimes, employing their established practice, once again left the negotiations on one of the key agenda items — the return of internally displaced persons and refugees from the occupied territories to their homes.
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.
The discussions are held with Co-Chairmanship of the EU, UN and OSCE, and participation of Georgia, the Russian Federation and the USA. The Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and the Head of the Provisional Administration of the former South Ossetian Autonomous District, as well as the representatives of the Russian occupation regime in Sokhumi and Tskhinvali also attend the Working Groups.
