Georgia submits draft resolution on occupied territories to PACE

Georgia has registered a draft document with the title - Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Territories of Georgia – to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Parliamentary Delegation of Georgia led by First Deputy Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili registered the document yesterday which is signed by the MPs of various member states of the Parliamentary Assembly.

The resolution concerns the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by the Russian Federation and the steps taken for the annexation of these regions, including the signing of the so-called integration agreements, the conduct of the so-called referendum in the Tskhinvali Region and so-called parliamentary elections in Abkhazia, which, according to the authors of the petition, threaten not only Georgia but the whole region.

The resolution also speaks about the humanitarian situation in the occupied regions, the violation of the fundamental rights of citizens living along the administrative border, and the restrictions on freedom of movement, which has been further halted by the closure of checkpoints at the administrative border.

The Assembly calls on the Russian Federation to allow international monitoring mechanisms in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Assembly also urges the Russian Federation to revoke the recognition of the occupied territories of Georgia, stop the occupation and carry out international obligations, including the August 12, 2008 Agreement on Ceasefire Agreement.

As the head of the Permanent Delegation of the Parliament of Georgia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe told journalists, the initiative gained strong support.