PM: We Manage to Avoid Conflict Escalation in Occupied Territories

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze says that against the background of provocations and challenges, the government is managing to avoid escalation of the conflict in Georgia’s Russian-backed breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Tskhinvali).

“We work hard within peacekeeping formats, the Geneva discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism and are managing to avoid an escalation of the conflict amid complicated challenges and provocations,” Bakhtadze stated at the roundtable meeting 'For Peace and Security - 10 years since the Russia-Georgia 2008 War' held in Tbilisi.

He underlined that the Russian-Georgian conflict is at the highest level on the international community's agenda.

“The international community is consolidated in its support of Georgia and calls upon the Russian Federation to comply with international obligations, to change the illegal decision of recognition and to de-occupy the Georgian territories,” he added.

Bakhtadze noted that if the Russian Federation wants a good neighborly, respectful relationship with Georgia, it should take effective steps and implement international commitments.

“The Russian Federation must comply with the August 12, 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and withdraw its military troops from Georgia's territories. The Russian Federation should stop the installation of artificial barbed wires and artificial barriers on the occupation line and should not prevent the creation of international security mechanisms,” the PM stressed.

By Thea Morrison