❗ Press release on consultations regarding security and stability in the South Caucasus:

🛡On November 11-12 in Geneva, the 65th round of the International Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus (IDSS) took place. The event, co-chaired by the UN, OSCE, and the European Union, was attended by representatives from the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the Republic of South Ossetia, the Russian Federation and the United States. The Russian delegation was headed by Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, Ambassador Gennady Gatilov.

🤝 The participants reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the discussions as a multilateral negotiating platform that ensures direct and ongoing dialogue on post-conflict restoration of relations between Sukhum, Tskhinval and Tbilisi. The Russian side emphasized the importance of rapid elaboration of the concrete measures to achieve the main goal of IDSS – ensuring robust security for Abkhazia and South Ossetia through a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force between Georgia and these two republics. Its signing would, in particular, serve as a practical embodiment of the conciliatory rhetoric coming from Tbilisi towards the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

⚠️ The relevance of such a step is growing against the backdrop of provocative calls from external actors urging Georgia to reclaim its “breakaway regions” by military means, as well as NATO’s overt plans to “appropriate” this country, including holding exercises and other military training activities on its territory.

🕊 Security situation "on the ground" is assessed as relatively calm, supported by the stable operation of communication channels established under the IDSS framework, including regular rounds, "hotlines", as well as the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Ergneti on the Georgian-South Ossetian border. Further stabilization of the situation could be facilitated by the resumption of the operation of a similar IPRM in Gal, as well as initiating delimitation of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian state borders with their subsequent demarcation.

❗️ A major obstacle to negotiation process in the humanitarian dimension remains Georgia’s annual submission of a highly politicized resolution to the UN General Assembly on internally displaced persons and refugees, ignoring geopolitical realities. The discussion of this issue, in violation of existing agreements, on international platforms other than IDSS, i.e. without the participation of representatives of Sukhum and Tskhinval, makes it impossible to consider it within the IDSS format.

🇨🇭Given Switzerland’s loss of its declared neutrality due to its alignment with the European Union’s illegal anti-Russian sanctions, Moscow, with the support of Sukhum and Tskhinval, proceeds from the need to relocate the regular rounds of IDSS from Geneva to another venue that is truly neutral and acceptable to all participants.

✅ The discussions will continue, with the next round scheduled to be held in March 2026.