Dec 15, 2010

Abkhazia: Abkhazia to Push for Refugee Registration at Geneva Talks


Abkhazia will urge the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to register Georgians who have settled on Abkhazian territory since its independence.



Below is an article published by RIA Novosti:

The former Georgian republic of Abkhazia will press for the UN to register Georgian refugees on its territory at security talks in Geneva, the delegation's chief Vyacheslav Chirikba said on Wednesday.

The 14th round of the Geneva talks, which aim to adopt a non-aggression treaty to ensure security in the South Caucasus, will be held in Switzerland on December 16.

The talks began in October 2008 following the Russian-Georgian war, which began when Georgia attacked the other former Georgian republic of South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 1999 and allowed tens of thousands of Georgian refugees to settle in its eastern Gal region.

Georgia has repeatedly blocked attempts by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to register up to 60,000 refugees in Abkhazia.