Abducted Georgian Doctor’s Case to be Discussed at Geneva Talks Today

The 50th round of Geneva International Discussions is scheduled for today. Lasha Darsalia, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia, will attend the meeting.

The central topic under consideration will be the urgent release of the illegally detained doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who could only be blamed for taking his Hippocratic Oath seriously. 

Darsalia, who leads the Georgian delegation to GID, claims the more general considerations will include humanitarian issues such as the impact of such restrictive measures on the freedom and livelihoods of the conflict-affected population.

“The main issue will be the never-ending neglect of human rights in conflict-affected areas in general, along with the concrete case of Vazha Gaprindashvili. Today, we will consult our partners. We will now meet our American partners, later the Co-Chairs, and prepare for tomorrow. We hope that the unprecedented international pressure on Russia over this case will soon yield results”, says Darsalia.

Following the August 2008 Russo–Georgian war, the GID remains the only platform for all interested sides to discuss the security-related issues and humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected population. The commitment of non-use of force is one of the principal issues at point discussed at several GID rounds.

By E.Dzebisashvili