European Parliament’s resolution most morally and politically powerful: Georgian parliament speaker

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Georgian Parliament’s Speaker Nino Burjanadze highly appraised resolution on Georgia and Russia passed by the European Parliament on October 26. “The most important issues with which Georgia is concerned are reflected in the document; Georgia’s position is practically for the first time presented absolutely completely; Georgian government’s approaches towards the so-called South Ossetia are shared,” the speaker announced at a special briefing. “We have received full support from the European Parliament,” Burjanadze proclaimed.

As Burjanadze reported, “the European Parliament condemns sanctions and blockade introduced by Russia against Georgia” and “reminds of the fact that Russia illegally granted Russian citizenship to Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s populations; it calls on Russia to unconditionally respect Georgia’s sovereignty in the framework of its internationally recognized borders.” Moreover, “the EP emphatically and quite severely condemns one-sided actions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia aimed at reaching independence, as well as their one-sidedly holding referenda. The EU emphasizes that it regards the referendum that has already taken place in Abkhazia illegal, and it is going to treat the same way the referendum to be conducted in South Ossetia.”

Burjanadze said that most important in the EU resolution is its unambiguous support of the Georgian government’s view that the format of peacekeeping mission in the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian conflict zones has to be changed, and EU included in the peacekeeping mission. Burjanadze called such EU move unprecedented.

Another unprecedented resolution point praised by Burjanadze is EU’s insisting that the issue of Russia’s sanctions against Georgia imposed on the latter in response to Georgia’s insult against Russian officers in Georgia and other anti-Russian policies of official Tbilisi be alleviated. The sanctions issue, Burjanadze said, is to be discussed at the EU-Russia summit planned for Nov 24.

Burjanadze highly appraised the EU resolution as “most morally and politically powerful,” since it was supported by virtually all political parties represented in the European Parliament, which is the evidence that every influential party in Europe supports Georgia’s policies towards Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Russia.