MEPs on 13th Anniversary of Russo-Georgian War

In a joint statement to mark the 13th anniversary of the Russian aggression on Georgia, Members of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs said they “remain firmly committed to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recogni[z]ed borders.”

“Despite the challenges posed by a difficult geopolitical situation, the citizens of Georgia are part of the pan-European family and they have chosen freely and overwhelmingly to follow the Euro-Atlantic integration path,” says the August 7 letter authored by the Committee Chair, MEP David McAllister, the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina Kaljurand, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Georgia, MEP Sven Mikser.

Commending Georgian authorities “for their laudable readiness for dialogue” through peace initiatives and policies, the MEPs said they “are determined to contribute to a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” calling on Russia “to fulfil its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.”

The statement also called on Russia “as the country exercising de facto control” over Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region /South Ossetia to grant the EU Monitoring Mission “unhindered access to both occupied regions, to revert the rampant ‘borderi[z]ation’ process, to put an end to systematic human rights violations – in particular those committed on grounds of ethnicity, to see that the perpetrators of such violations are brought to justice, and to allow for the safe and dignified return of the internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands.”

The MEPs also said inhabitants of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia cannot benefit from the socio-economic development fostered by the Association Agreement with the EU, as “they continue to suffer from the scourge of Russian occupation.”

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