“Ten years after the war in 2008 in Georgia, we have not stopped working for peace and for a true solution to the conflict,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told the European Parliament members yesterday.
Addressing the European Parliament debate on Georgia’s occupied territories, Mogherini recounted the EU’s engagement in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian war, and stressed that it has “a very special role to play” in the country.
“The European Union has been a central actor in the process to manage the consequences of the conflict, to improve the lives of all people in the region, and to find a lasting solution,” the EU foreign policy chief stressed.
She also pointed out that the EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia, “the only international monitoring presence in the field,” has “fulfilled an indispensable function of stabilization, to the benefit of all the communities afflicted by the conflict.”
Mogherini spoke on the Geneva International Discussions as well, which is co-chaired by the EU, saying progress in the talks is “limited,” but also stressing that it has “helped make the security situation on the ground relatively manageable.”
She then touched upon the EU-Georgian ties in general, describing the cooperation as “a true partnership, a strong friendship based on political association and development cooperation, on economic exchanges as well as on a strong friendship between our people.”
Federica Mogherini also underlined that the EU’s approach was “to include the breakaway regions” in its programs in Georgia, including those on agriculture, rural development and vocational training. “Our policy is one of non-recognition but also of engagement with Abkhazia and South Ossetia; exactly in line with the approach of the Georgian government,” she stressed.
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