Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

Georgia is working intensely on an agreement to prevent any renewal of shooting incidents, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia David Zalkaliani told journalists on the results of the next round of Geneva talks.

The talks were held on December17-18 in Geneva with the participation of Georgia, Russia and representatives of Georgia's breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as the UN, OSCE, and EU.

The deputy minister reiterated that Georgia intends to conclude an agreement on the non-renewal of fire with Russia, but Moscow insists on signing of this agreement between Tbilisi and Sukhumi and between Tbilisi and Tskhinvali.

"We began discussing the agreement, although there is no significant progress in that direction," Zalkaliani said.

The next meeting in a Geneva format will be held in January 2014.

The Geneva talks were convened after the armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement of August 12.

Tbilisi broke off relations with Moscow in August 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.