"We strongly believe that alternatives of peaceful settlement were not exhausted in the case of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," said Yavuz Mildon, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in his address to the Assembly on 29 September. He stated that the flexible models of regional autonomy constituted a sound alternative to conflict and specifically referred to the new European Charter of Regional Democracy which could be used in settling territorial disputes. Mildon underlined the importance of wider cooperation between the Congress and Parliamentary Assembly for the sake of democracy and benefit of Europeans.
