Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Russia and Georgia failed to agree on a declaration of non-use of force.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani made this remark following the regular round of the Geneva talks held on March 26-27.

"This declaration was no substitute for commitment on the part of Russia not to use force," Zalkaliani said adding that "different positions that each side held before the session, remain unchanged."

Russia and Georgia have maintained no diplomatic relations since a brief war in 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over the two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the breakaway regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008 and broke off relations with Moscow.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili made a decision on unilateral non-use of force in late 2010 and since then Tbilisi is calling on Russia to follow this step.

"The regular round of talks which mainly addresses issues specified by the format has ended. Firstly, it covered issues of security and the declaration of non-use of force which was presented by the co-chairs. Our position is principal: the declaration will not in any case replace the obligation on the part of Russia not to use force. Discussions also touched on security on-site, both in the South Ossetia separatist region of Georgia and Abkhazia. Attention was paid to the construction of the so-called frontier military infrastructure along the administrative border. It was noted that this factor poses a particular threat to the movement of the population and artificially created barriers that should be removed. Considerable attention was given to humanitarian issues and the return of refugees," Zalkaliani said.

According to Zalkaliani, an informal informative meeting was held at the end of the day.

The Georgian negotiators expressed concern over intensified installation of barbed-wire fence across some parts of the South Ossetian administrative boundary line, which, Zalkaliani said, was negatively affecting daily life of the population living in those areas.

In turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told RIA Novosti news agency that hopes about fruitful round [of talks], unfortunately, have not been materialized again.

Karasin further stressed that Tbilisi's insistence on Russia's non-use of force was "completely unacceptable" for Moscow.

The next round of Geneva talks will be held on June 25-26. The Geneva talks were convened after the armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008 in accordance with the ceasefire agreement of August 12.

Traditionally, the negotiations are co-chaired by representatives from EU, UN and OSCE and involve negotiators, or as they are formally called "participants", from Georgia, Russia and the United States, as well as from Sokhumi and Tskhinvali.