Boris Chochiev, the acting prime minister of breakaway South Ossetia, will lead the secessionist delegation at talks in Geneva starting on October 15, the breakaway region’s Press and Information Committee reported on Monday.

Western media reported last week, quoting an unnamed EU diplomat as saying that Abkhaz and South Ossetian representatives were expected to take part in the Geneva talks, but only at informal working meetings, not at the plenary session, which will involve officials from Russia, Georgia and the United States.

Talks will be held under the auspices of the EU, UN and OSCE at the level of special envoys.

The South Ossetian delegation, the breakaway region’s Press and Information Committee said, would hold consultations with Russian Foreign Ministry officials in Moscow before departing for Geneva.

As well as the acting prime minister, the delegation will also include Murat Jioev, the acting foreign minister, and Konstantin Kochiev, an aide to South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity.

The Geneva talks will be preceded by a meeting between OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb; French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country holds the EU presidency; EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana; EU Commissioner for External  Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner; and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The OSCE said in a press release on October 13 that the Geneva talks would “include representatives from the EU, the UN, the OSCE, the United States, Russia and Georgia. In addition, the representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will take part in the talks.”