Irish Senate Adopts Resolution on Georgia

The Senate of Ireland passed on November 7, a motion on supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia and its integration into the European Union.

The resolution, authored by twelve Irish Senators – Catherine Ardagh, Lorraine Clifford-Lee, Mark Daly, Paul Daly, Aidan Davitt, Robbie Gallagher, Gerry Horkan, Terry Leyden, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Ned O’Sullivan, Keith Swanick and Diarmuid Wilson – reaffirms Ireland’s “unwavering support” for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and the “non-recognition policy towards the occupied territories of Georgia.”

The authors express their concern that 10 years after the Russo-Georgia war, Russian occupation of Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali continues, and “the security, human rights and humanitarian situation on the ground further deteriorates.”

“People in the occupied territories are deprived of basic rights and freedoms, such as the right to life, the right to residence and property, freedom of movement, education in the native language,” the document reads, noting that “Georgians remaining in the occupied regions are subject to ethnic discrimination and ethnically targeted violence.”

The document welcomes adoption of Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, and calls for the Irish Government “to impose the restrictive measures on the individuals included in the list with the aim to end impunity and prevent further aggravation of the human rights situation in Georgia’s occupied regions.”

It also underlines “the utmost need for tangible results on core issues of negotiations,” including the non-use of force, establishment of the international security mechanisms in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region and “the safe and dignified return” of hundreds of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees “expelled from their homes through the numerous waves of ethnic cleansing, with the aim to achieve lasting peace and security on the ground.”

The resolution also refers to Georgia’s “substantial progress on its EU integration path, including successful implementation of the Association Agreement,” and notes that the visa free regime “stands out as an important milestone achieved on the EU-Georgia cooperation agenda.”

The authors also call for the two countries to further deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation and to work together “to contribute to global peace and security.”

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