Russia and Georgia have agreed on proposals for the first concrete measures to prevent conflicts being sparked over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, international mediators said after talks on Wednesday.
“During the talks of 17 and 18 February in Geneva, the participants have discussed and agreed on consensus proposals for mechanisms of joint prevention and resolution of incidents,” said Pierre Morel, the EU’s envoy on the crisis in Georgia.
The proposals, which were still being detailed, would open up more immediate channels of communication between all security forces on the ground, diplomats from the European Union, the United Nations and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said.
“They will meet on a weekly basis, or more often as required,” the co-chairs of the talks said in a joint statement. “As a follow-up to incidents, agreed joint visits may be conducted.”
The UN’s special representative for Georgia Johan Verbeke said the measures opened up the possibility of more immediate dialogue on potential flashpoints, and were likely to include a telephone hotline.
“It’s a first tangible step,” he told journalists, AFP reports.
