Statement on the 14th anniversary of the occupation of a part of the territory of Georgia

 

SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Georgia

 

 

STATEMENT

ON THE 14TH anniversary of the OCCUPATION OF A PART OF THE TERRITORY OF GEORGIA

 

8 August 2022

Vilnius

 

Members of the Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Georgia of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,

 

recalling that fourteen years ago the armed forces of the Russian Federation launched an act of aggression against the neighbouring Georgia to rip off parts of its territory and establish the unrecognised puppet government in the occupied territory,

 

regretting that the Russian Federation has failed to fulfil its obligations under the ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, refuses to withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Georgia to their pre-conflict positions, and has illegally recognised the puppet formations under its support in the occupied part of the country,

 

welcoming the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights of 21 January 2021, which legally confirms the Russian Federation’s occupation and actual control of the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and establishes the responsibility of the Russian Federation for violations of fundamental norms of international law and human rights in the occupied regions of Georgia, and the decision of the International Criminal Court of 30 June 2022 to issue an arrest warrant for war crimes committed during the military aggression of the Russian Federation in 2008,

 

recognise and firmly support  Georgia’s territorial integrity, as defined in the country’s Constitution, and the inviolability of its internationally recognised borders, and consider the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) to be an inseparable part of the territory of Georgia;

 

call on the Russian Federation to comply with the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights, cooperate with the International Criminal Court, and remove the obstacles to the prosecution of persons responsible for the murders of Georgian citizens Davit Basharuli, Giga Otkhozoria, and Archil Tatunashvili;

 

express concern over the deteriorating security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in the occupied regions, the installation of barbed wire fences and artificial barriers along the line of occupation, arbitrary detentions and abductions of local residents, restrictions on freedom of movement, discrimination on ethnic grounds, and violations of the right to education in the native language;

 

state that the restoration of peace and security in the region has to be guided by the following overarching principles, namely, meeting the commitments under the ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, withdrawing the Russian armed forces from the occupied parts of the territory of Georgia, refusing to recognise the puppet formations operating in the occupied territory of the country, allowing safe return home for refugees and displaced persons, restoring Georgia’s jurisdiction over Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, ensuring democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights and freedoms, as well as enabling broad participation of the international community and international organisations in supporting the implementation of these principles;

 

call for due attention to ensuring territorial integrity of Georgia and its European and Euro-Atlantic integration to be given by the European Union and NATO institutions, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, international organisations, and the international community as a whole, including its political leaders.

 

 

Head of the Group                                                           Raimundas Lopata