Moscow comes out for holding a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya and president of the non-recognized republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity

Saturday, January 25, 2020

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Moscow comes out for holding a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya and president of the non-recognized republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity, said Lev Mironov, ambassador at large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, at a press conference. He reminded those present that both sides agreed to hold such a meeting and asked Russia and North Ossetia to help organize it. The diplomat pointed out that such work, although it had become more difficult because of the Beslan tragedy, continues but the time for the meeting was not yet determined. Mironov also stressed that in settling the Georgian-Ossetian standoff Russia proceeds from the recognition of the Georgian territorial integrity and believes that the solution should be found within its limits. According to Mironov, it will be possible to go over to negotiations on a full-scale political settlement and on the status of South Ossetia when stability is established in the conflict zone. Russia will accept agreements the sides (Georgia, South Ossetia) will reach when the conflict is settled and is ready to be their guarantor. "Tbilisi wants South Ossetia to become a part of Georgia and is ready to give it a status of the autonomy, but Tskhinvali wants independence. The solution lies between these two positions, Mironov said. Speaking about the participation of the Council of Europe in the settlement of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, the diplomat pointed out that it played a positive role but the expansion of the existing format of settlement would be counterproductive. The Russian ambassador admits that the developments in South Ossetia and the terrorist act in Beslan are interconnected. "If Chechen militants remained in the Pankisi Gorge, and we cannot rule this out, and if we remember Maskhadov's statement on the Georgian television, then we can speak about this interconnection. Mironov also stressed that he does not have specific facts proving the participation of Chechens on the Georgian side in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict.

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