STATEMENT on Voluntary Return of Refugees - Internally Displaced Persons

1. During the Geneva meeting that took place 31 August -1 September, the Georgian and Abkhaz sides discussed issues of voluntary return of refugees-internally displaced persons and the work of Quadripartite Commission.

2. The sides recalled their declaration of 4 April 1994, in which they had agreed that implementation of quadripartite agreement would start after deployment of peace keeping forces and noted that such a deployment was carried out through the deployment of peace-keeping forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

3. The Parties also expressed their points of view toward the agreement on cease-fire regime and separation of forces, signed on 14 May 1994, by virtue of which, in particular, it was agreed upon that the Troops of the Republic of Georgia would be withdrawn to the places of their permanent deployment beyond the territory of Abkhazia and that all voluntary military formations, composed of non-residents of Abkhazia, would be disbanded and withdrawn from the territory of Abkhazia.

4. Both Parties, confirming their commitments to these provisions of the Agreement and further agree that they shall participate in the next meeting of the Quadripartite Commission to be held in Sochi on 6 September 1994 and shall continue to do their utmost to prepare, as soon as possible, all the necessary documents for return of refugees and internally displaced persons and thereby to lay foundation to their actual return in the immediate future.

5. The Parties conceded, that as a part of the process of repatriation, the returnees shall be informed by the UNHCR that the Abkhaz side shall demand from them to observe the laws of Abkhazia that do not run counter to provisions of the Quadripartite Agreement, and internationally recognized human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity.

6. The Parties noted the readiness of the UNHCR to render assistance to those people who have returned spontaneously and those who have returned in an organized manner as soon as the processes of organized return starts.

7. In addition to the aforementioned, the Parties agreed to set up a working group that shall deal with the issues of search for bodies of the perished and their re-burial.

On behalf of Georgian Side A. Kavsadze

On behalf of Abkhazian Side S. Jinjolia

In the presence of:

From the Russian Federation G. Fedosov

From the UN E. Brunner

From CSCE G. Baldocci

From UNHCR J. Horekens

2 September 1994

(Newspaper “Svobodnaia Gruzia”, # 142, 7 September 1994)