PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE GENEVA INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS

Geneva, Switzerland, 23 March 2016 - The Geneva International Discussions have just concluded their 35th round.

During the meeting, the participants reached an important agreement on the resumption of the work of the Gali / Gal Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM).

At the same time, they appreciated the intense work going on in the Ergneti IPRM. The participants also welcomed several recent positive and encouraging developments, in particular the simultaneous release of detainees on March 10 and the resumption of the work of the ICRC tripartite mechanism on missing persons in Ergneti on February 5. They appreciated the activities of the OSCE-commissioned expert regarding the fate of missing persons in the context of the 2008 conflict.

The participants assessed the security situation on the ground as relatively calm and stable. They also discussed issues related to freedom of movement and travel abroad, as well as the humanitarian situation, including missing persons, education, cultural heritage and environmental issues.

The Co-Chairs welcomed the exchanges of views that took place on non-use of force.

The participants agreed to hold their next round on 14-15 June 2016.