OREANDA-NEWS. March 27, 2009. A meeting took place on March 26 between State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin and EU Special Envoy for Georgia Pierre Morel. During the consultations, information about the Russian Defense Ministry representatives who will take part in the work of the joint incident prevention and response mechanisms in the areas adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia was handed to the envoy.

The “proposals for joint incident prevention and response mechanisms” were adopted during the fourth round of Geneva discussions on stability and security in Transcaucasia this past February. This is the first practical document with the participation of the Abkhaz, Georgian and South Ossetian sides after the August events of last year. At issue are the recommendations for fostering practical cooperation with a view to preventing incidents and provocations on the Georgian-South Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz borders that now pose the greatest threat for stability and security in the region. Their operation from the very beginning must be subordinated to the aims of reducing tension and restoring trust in the region between Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The mechanisms imply holding regular meetings. A 24-hour hotline will be in place. It is also envisaged that representatives from all local structures responsible for order and security and from international organizations (the UN, EU and OSCE) will take part in the work of these mechanisms.

In the conversation, the tense situation in the zones adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, themes related to the holding of the next round of Geneva discussions on stability and security in Transcaucasia and the issues of the work of the EU, UN and OSCE observers were also discussed.