Conversational tactics: Russia proposes to maintain dialogue on Transcaucasia
Moscow supports the continuation of the format of international discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia. However, Russia supports postponing the dialogue from Switzerland, the diplomat stressed. Experts believe that the UAE, Saudi Arabia or Belarus may become more suitable venues. A new round of consultations will be held on March 18-19. About why it is difficult for the parties to find common ground and how relations between the Russian Federation and Georgia will develop — in the Izvestia article.
Where can the security negotiations in Transcaucasia go?
Russia stands for the preservation and continuation of international discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia.
— The format itself and its continuation are very important to us, we do not question the importance of this format. We need a platform that would suit all parties. There is no such situation yet, and we are going to Geneva because we need to continue the format, which is of crucial importance," the diplomat said.
The Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, where representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine held talks
However, Galuzin stressed that Russia insists on moving the discussions from Switzerland to a truly neutral country.
— Switzerland, unfortunately, has moved away from its principle of neutrality and taken a pro-Kiev position in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. Therefore, it is difficult to consider it a convenient location for negotiations," the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
The Geneva discussions were launched in the fall of 2008, after Russia was forced to conduct an operation to force Georgia to peace and recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Representatives of Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia, Russia, and the United States are participating in the negotiations, co-chaired by the EU, the UN, and the OSCE. Discussions are being held in the format of working groups on security and humanitarian issues, but significant progress has not been achieved.
On the night of August 8, 2008, an armed conflict broke out between Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Georgian army attacked Tskhinvali. The Russian peacekeepers who were in the city also came under fire. In response, the Russian Federation deployed troops to protect Russian citizens living in the region, and ships of the Black Sea Fleet approached the shores of Abkhazia. As a result of the conflict, which ended with the defeat of Georgian troops, Moscow recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Because of this, Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation.
The most recent, the 65th round of consultations was held on November 11-12, 2025. No special results were achieved, the parties agreed to meet again on March 18-19. The Russian Foreign Ministry then called on Georgia to sign an agreement on the non-use of force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Georgian authorities are not ready to develop such documents.
"Its signing would be, in particular, the practical embodiment of conciliatory rhetoric coming from Tbilisi towards the Abkhaz and South Ossetian peoples," Smolenskaya Square clarified last November.
Potential candidates for the role of a new platform for negotiations could be Middle Eastern states, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which have already shown themselves positively as mediators in the Ukrainian settlement. Minsk looks geographically close and at the same time acceptable to both sides, Vadim Mukhanov, head of the Caucasus sector at the Evgeny Primakov IMEMO Center for Post-Soviet Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
Geneva is often a platform for diplomacy. For example, here the Russian Federation and the United States were preparing a Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty in 2009. It was in this city that the trilateral consultations between Russia, the United States and Ukraine took place on February 17-18. According to various media reports, negotiations in this format may continue as early as next week.
The third round of trilateral talks between delegates from Ukraine, Russia and the United States, Geneva, Switzerland, February 17
However, experts believe that Russia's agreement to a meeting in Geneva on Ukraine is an exception. Negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides had previously taken place in the UAE and Turkey, with the host country playing a more technical role. The Transcaucasian format is an institutionalized mechanism where the status of the host country has a symbolic meaning.
— Switzerland remains an unfriendly state, and we generally compromised by agreeing to hold talks on Ukraine there. But you shouldn't encourage the Swiss side too much until it can declare its neutral status again," Oleg Karpovich, head of the Department of the MGIMO Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, commented on the situation to Izvestia.
How is the normalization of Georgia's relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia progressing?
On February 3, Mikhail Galuzin met with Oleg Bartsits, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, and Konstantin Kochiev, State Adviser to the President of South Ossetia. The parties discussed preparations for a new round of Geneva discussions. Moscow, Sukhumi and Tskhinval intend to raise the issue of the beginning of the delimitation of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian state borders with their subsequent demarcation.
However, Tbilisi shows no willingness to recognize the republics and establish full-fledged relations. Instead, Georgian officials maintain plans to incorporate Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the country. "The solution to this issue, of course, will depend on various factors, but with patience and the right policy, everything is possible," said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
So far, the dialogue between Tbilisi, Sukhum and Tskhinvali is conducted only in a technical format. For example, regular meetings continue on the border of Georgia and South Ossetia to resolve operational security issues and problems of the local population. A similar mechanism on the Abkhaz border remains frozen.
— We should hope for at least some small positive steps. Serious breakthroughs, special agreements, and official recognition are definitely not in the short term," Vadim Mukhanov believes.
Currently, relations between Russia and Georgia are not going through the worst of times, which may have a positive impact on the situation in Transcaucasia. Tbilisi consistently refuses to join the anti-Russian sanctions, explaining this by protecting the national economy. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stresses that Georgia will not allow its territory to be used to open a "second front." In 2023, direct flights between the two countries were restored, and trade turnover is also growing.
"Our relations with Georgia, while maintaining its current course, will be built in a constructive manner, but, of course, cannot be formalized, since Tbilisi will not recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Oleg Karpovich emphasized.
Georgia is unlikely to decide on a military clash, but diplomatic recognition of the two republics should not be expected in the near future either. Against this background, Russia plays an important role, providing substantial economic assistance to Abkhazia and South Ossetia and contributing to their development. In particular, direct flights to Sukhum were launched in 2025.
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