Policy Recommendations for a Political Solution in Georgia’s Region of South Ossetia

Washington D.C. — For Immediate Release

At a July 14 Jamestown Foundation luncheon event, “The Crisis in South Ossetia: A Test of Russia’s Conduct”, Jamestown senior fellow Vladimir Socor addressed the escalating conflict in South Ossetia and delivered his recommendations to all parties involved in the negotiating framework and the U.S. policymaking community.

Vladimir Socor, a specialist on the frozen conflicts in Eurasia and CIS security affairs, has recently returned from the NATO Istanbul Summit where he delivered two reports on NATO’s role in the Black Sea and South Caucasus regions. Mr. Socor shared his findings during his latest trip to the United States in his address to the WP Carey Forum at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, co-sponsored by the Jamestown Foundation. Mr. Socor’s remarks at both events highlight the need for Western security assistance in the South Caucasus.

In recognizing the importance of a peaceful and immediate settlement of the South Ossetian conflict, the Jamestown Foundation is pleased to release Vladimir Socor’s policy recommendations. Jamestown President Glen Howard stated that he “hopes this timely information will facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict as well as increase awareness of security threats in the South Caucasus.” Mr. Howard called for the United States to “develop a more comprehensive role in brokering a settlement to the conflict” and to “seriously consider Mr. Socor’s policy recommendations calling for a halt to the influx of foreign mercenaries into the region from Trans-Dniestr and Abkhazia.”

Mr. Socor’s policy recommendations are available in PDF format on our website at: https://www.jamestown.org/images/pdf/policy_recs-072104.pdf or visit the Jamestown Foundation website at www.jamestown.org.

Founded in 1984, The Jamestown Foundation is an independent, non-partisan research institution dedicated to providing timely information concerning critical political and strategic developments in China, Russia, and Eurasia. Jamestown’s research and analysis is available to the public free-of-charge via Jamestown’s website, www.jamestown.org.