CoE Member States Support Secretary General’s Report on Conflict in Georgia
The 15th Consolidated Report on the Conflict in Georgia, prepared by the secretary general of the Council of Europe (CoE) Thorbjorn Jagland was supported by the delegations of member states at the 1284th meeting of the Committee of Ministers’ Deputies of the CoE.
The report covers the period from October 2016 to March 2017, and it informs the international community of ongoing developments in Georgia's occupied regions, including the current difficult human rights situation in Georgia's occupied territories.
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) says that Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Liechtenstein, Iceland, the Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and San Marino aligned themselves with the statement made on behalf of the EU.
“The 15th Consolidated Report was unprecedented in terms of support reiterated by various delegations for Georgia. Statements in support for Georgia were made by the EU and GUAM, delegations of 28 states individually condemned the illegal activities of Russia,” the statement of MFA reads.
Also, the delegations reaffirmed their unequivocal support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized border and called upon Russia to comply with its international commitments, including those undertaken within the CoE.
MFA reports that the CoE member states underlined the importance of access of the international monitoring bodies to the occupied territories of Georgia. They called on the Russian Federation to facilitate and grant unrestricted access to the Council of Europe bodies, as well as to the EUMM to the areas affected by the conflict in Georgia.
The delegations positively appraised the Georgian Government’s constructive approach to the peaceful resolution of the conflict emphasizing that there is no alternative to such approach.
The Secretary General's 15th Consolidated Report was welcomed by the Council of Europe's member states, which supported the practice of submitting the Secretary General's consolidated reports in the future.
“Only the delegation of the Russian Federation called into question the effectiveness of the Secretary General's consolidated reports,” the ministry said.
“The MFA of Georgia welcomes the publication of the Council of Europe Secretary General's 15th consolidated report as well as the statements made by the EU, GUAM and other partners concerning the report. The Ministry hopes that the issue of the "Conflict in Georgia" will remain high on the Council of Europe's political agenda,” Georgia’s Foreign Ministry stated.
The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani made a statement during the meeting. He spoke about the ongoing occupation of the Georgian regions and the Russian Federation’s steps towards annexation of the Georgian territories. According to Zalkaliani, Russia continues its destructive policy in full disregard of the norms and principles of international law, to which attests the Russian foreign minister’s recent “visit” to Abkhazia.
The Deputy Foreign Minister informed the meeting participants about the recent developments in Georgia’s occupied territories, including the security, humanitarian and human rights situation.
Zalkaliani also spoke about the Georgian Government’s steps towards confidence building and policy of engagement. He highlighted the importance of the Geneva International Discussions in peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Thea Morrison