Irish Parliament Committee Adopts Resolution on Georgia

The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence of the Irish Parliament adopted at its meeting on June 21 a resolution on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the declaration of independence, reaffirming Ireland’s “unwavering support” for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

The resolution, authored by four Irish MPs – Maureen O’Sullivan, Sean Barrett, Niall Collins and Noel Grealish – expresses concern over the recent decision of Syria to recognize Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia as independent states, and denounces further aggravation of “the security and human rights situation” in the two regions.

The document also hails the Geneva International Discussions “as an important format to address the security and humanitarian challenges,” and underlines “the need for tangible results on core issues of the negotiations,” including the non-use of force, establishment of the international security mechanisms and the safe and dignified return of IDPs and refugees.

The Irish lawmakers welcome Georgia’s “substantial progress on its EU integration path, including the successful implementation of the Association Agreement,” and note that abolishment of the visa requirements for the Georgian citizens “stands out as an important milestone achieved on the EU-Georgia cooperation agenda.”

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement today that this is the second resolution adopted by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence in support of Georgia, which demonstrates “excellent bilateral relations” between Georgia and Ireland, and is unprecedented with its “content and strong formulations.”

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)