The next week we’ll have a meeting with the Co-Chairs of the Discussions, that is regularly organized in anticipation of meetings in Geneva.

Recently I had a telephone conversation with Daur Kove, Abkhazian Foreign Minister, and we were discussing our joint strategy at the GID, especially the issue of non-use of force. We’ll do our best to push other participants to work harder on this document. Another issue that we discussed was the issue of human rights execution. The fact is that Georgian authorities do the utmost to deprive citizens of South Ossetia and Abkhazia of the opportunity to go abroad, to make obstacles to receive visas or participate in cultural events.

I’m talking first of all of receiving the EU visas. Georgian authorities sent letters with claims to deny visas for South Ossetia and Abkhazia citizens. There are cases, when people were denied a visa only because they had been born in South Ossetia, whiles they were citizens of Russia and lived permanently on territory of the Russian Federation.

Human rights situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is regularly condemned by Georgian politicians at different international stages. We believe we have to discuss human right’s issues at any stages. We have to prove that both Republics completely execute human rights including the rights of national minorities. This issue must not be a subject of unilateral accusations made by Georgia.