TBILISI, DFWatch – EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM) will continue its activity for one more year until September 14, 2013.

The European Council on Friday extended EUMM for one more year and €20.9 million was allocated in next year’s budget.

Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said the mission has made ‘a vital contribution to security and stability in Georgia and the region over the past four years.’

“I welcome the extension of its mandate for another year which will allow the mission

to continue its efforts towards improving the daily lives of conflict-affected communities.”

Meetings of Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism have been held regularly in Georgia’s breakaway regions after Russian-Georgian war in August. The goal is to solve problems for all sides involved, like border issues and prisoner exchange.

The EU encourages all participants to work for the resumption of such meetings in Abkhazia.

Recently Abkhazian party announced head of EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia as persona non grata because of alleged undiplomatic comments, and refused to participate in talks unless Andrzej Tyszkiewicz was replaced. The EU however rejected the criticism of Tyszkiewicz.

The meetings in South Ossetia were not affected by the crisis.

The European Union thinks all participants in the Geneva discussions should continue their efforts towards a peaceful and sustainable solution.

The EU calls on the Russian Federation to fulfill its obligations under the six-point ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008 and its implementing measures of 8 September 2008.