European Parliament Holds Debates on Georgia’s Occupied Territories

The European Parliament will hold a debate today on the topic of “Georgia’s Occupied Territories Ten Years after the Russian Invasion.” The European Parliament, based in Strasbourg, France, holds several debates each day in plenary sessions. After the debates, the 750 members of the European Parliament will adopt a relevant resolution, with a vote on June 14. It is expected that the resolution will once again condemn Russian aggression. Russia invaded Georgia’s Tskhinvali region on August 7, 2018, sparking a brief but deadly war. The territory remains occupied 10 years later, along with the northwest region of Abkhazia.

The European Parliament's session will be opened by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. Latvian politician Andrejs Mamikins, a member of the European Parliament, told Georgia’s First Channel “We will not forgive, reconcile with or forget,” speaking about the 2008 Georgia-Russia War, which he called a tragedy for the Georgian people. 42-year-old Mamikins was born in Soviet Leningrad.

The text of the resolution already exists, however, it could be changed after the debate, according to Natalie Sabanadze, the Georgian ambassador to the European Union.

"We have been working on the resolution for a long time. We started negotiations with the European Parliament about six months ago. Ten years pass from the Russia-Georgia war this summer and we expect that Russian aggression will be once again condemned as well as the results of the occupation analysed. In fact, considering the results, we could say that the war is over but Russian aggression still continues,  especially on our occupied territories. Accordingly, it is very important for the European Parliament to express its position,” said Sabanadze.

The debate is scheduled, along with seven other topics, to be discussed between 15:00 and 23:00 on Tuesday, June 12.

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: Medium