Tbilisi Trying to Retain Right to Use Force Against Sukhumi - Abkhaz FM

By refusing to sign an agreement on the non-use of force to settle its disputes with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Tbilisi intends to keep violence as an instrument of its policy toward breakaway republics, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Chirikba told Sputnik in an interview.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia meet regularly within the framework of the Geneva discussions, the only communication platform for the conflicting sides, which is mediated by Russia, the United States, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union.

According to Chirikba, the negotiations are difficult, noting specifically that they have stalled over the issue of signing an agreement on the non-use of force.

"Georgia refuses to sign such a document. It means that it reserves for itself the right to use force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There is no other explanation for it," Chirikba said.

In 2008, Georgia launched a military offensive against the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which escalated into a five-day war with Russia. Both regions declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. Their statehood was recognized by Russia following the 2008 conflict.