Alexander Stubb

Minister Frattini continues to follow the situation in Georgia with close concern

Rome 10 August 2008

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini, continues to follow developments in Georgia with close concern. He is liaising with the Premier, Silvio Berlusconi and staying in constant contact with his colleagues in the major EU and Atlantic countries.

Minister Frattini exchanged views today, 10 August, with the French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, and the Finnish Foreign Minister, Alexander Stubb, in view of their mission to Tbilisi and Moscow in their roles as, respectively, President of the European Union’s Council of Ministers and current Chairman of the OSCE.

During their talks Minister Frattini stressed the need for the greatest possible cohesion between the countries of the EU on the lines proposed by the French Presidency. He also underscored the timely need for close coordination between the European countries in the United Nations Security Council, and Germany, in order to establish a common position in view of the forthcoming discussions in New York.

11.08.2008

The United States of America:

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Zalmay Khalilzad, told the U.N. Security Council that a Russian-backed military operation in Abkhazia was under way;

The European States/ The European Union/ The European Council:

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb are planning to travel to Moscow Monday after spending more than a day meeting Georgian officials searching for a way to end the conflict; Stubb said they had put together some elements of a "forceful way forward" to a cease-fire and withdrawal plan; Sources close to the delegation said the two ministers, along with their Georgian counterpart, would visit the Georgian city of Gori Monday afternoon to see first-hand damage caused by Russian airstrikes;
French President Nicolas Sarkozy would visit the capitals of both Russia and Georgia on Tuesday in an effort to end fighting between the former Soviet republics; Sarkozy's office has confirmed that he plans to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev;

UN