The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:
"The EU regrets that the Abkhazia Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting
on 24th April was cancelled at the last minute due to certain conditions set by the Abkhaz de facto
authorities. The determination of the composition of the delegation of the EU at the IPRM meeting
by another participant is unacceptable.
Any challenge to established and agreed procedures of the Geneva International Discussions can
have serious consequences. As stated in the Statement of the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International
Discussions on 25 April, the IPRM's have been acknowledged by all participants of the Geneva
Discussions as an important tool for addressing security issues as well as other issues on the
ground.
The EU Monitoring Mission plays an important role in the IPRM's within its stabilization,
normalization and confidence-building mandate. We express continued full confidence in its
leadership.
The EU expresses its hope that the IPRM can soon meet again to the benefit of all participants."
