The U.S. support for Georgia’s “provocative idea” about neutral travel documents, designed for residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, does not contribute to holding of Geneva talks constructively, Alexander Lukashevich, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman, said on June 7.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced in Batumi on June 5, that the U.S. would accept the status neutral travel documents issued by Georgia for residents of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. “This would be a strong step towards reconciliation and supports a peaceful and just resolution of the conflict,” Clinton said.

Speaking at a news conference on June 7, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Tbilisi “has been trying persistently recently to impose on the residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Georgian identification cards, falsely portraying them as neutral documents.”

“This gesture by Washington in support of provocative idea about ‘neutral passports’ does not obviously contribute to creation of constructive atmosphere for new round of Geneva talks”, which are held on June 7-8, Lukashevich said.