Abkhazia: Turkey Offers to Mediate Talks with Georgia
Turkey has offered to mediate talks between Georgia and Abkhazia, which unilaterally
declared its independence, to find a peaceful solution.
Nugzar Ashuba, the speaker of Abkhazia's parliament, said after his meeting
with Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Erton Tezgor, that Turkey had offered to
mediate talks between Georgia and Abkhazia to find a peaceful solution.
Ashuba said that Tezgor had proposed having Georgian, Abkhazian and Turkish
representatives meet for talks, adding that they could take into consideration
Turkey's proposal in their relations with Georgia.
Georgian-Abkhazian dispute started on August 14th, 1992 when Georgian government
troops occupied Suthumi. Later, clashes turned into war, but ended on September
30th, 1993 after Georgian forces and population left the region.
The war claimed 8 thousand lives, and about 200 thousand Abkhazian people
were forced to leave their home.
Russian peace-keeping force has been trying to control the cease-fire between
the two sides since September 1993.
Peace talks between Georgia and Abkhazia have been under way since 1997 under
the auspices of the United Nations and with the mediation of Britain, Russia,
the United States, France and Germany.
Source: Turkishpress