Georgian MFA to seek the return OSCE observers

The restoration of the mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the conflict zones with South Ossetia and Abkhazia is the top priority for the Georgian Government and the OSCE, said Sergi Kapanadze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

The OSCE mission had worked in Georgia since 1992. On May 13, 2009, Russia made use of its veto right and blocked the extension of the OSCE mission in Georgia. Moscow proceeded from the fact that South Ossetia is an independent state. Tskhinvali offered the OSCE to open a separate representative office in the republic, to be governed directly from Vienna, where the OSCE has its headquarters.

Sergi Kapanadze has also linked the topic with the monitoring of human rights in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are viewed by the official Tbilisi as occupied Georgian territories. "Also, the work with refugees will become more active. Last year, we managed to make the refugee topicality more relevant in the OSCE. Until then, unfortunately, the topic had been of little interest," the "Georgia Online" quotes Mr Kapanadze as saying.

Let us note here that starting January 1, 2012, the chairmanship in the OSCE has moved from Lithuania to Ireland. Dublin has already stated that the priority of his chairmanship, in particular, will be settlement of "frozen conflicts". Ireland will support negotiations with participation of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Geneva Discussions on the events of August 2008 in Georgia, said Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Head of the Irish Government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who in 2012 will hold the post of the OSCE Chairman.

"We'll make use of our own experience in settling conflicts, gained in the context of the peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland, and seek for progress in similar processes with the support of all the conflicting parties," the ITAR-TASS quotes Mr Gilmore's statement.