Georgian president meets OSCE ambassadors, says occupied regions should be monitored

The president of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili told 25 OSCE ambassadors visiting Tbilisi that the country’s occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) should not be excluded from international monitoring.

Margvelashvili spoke about the actions of Russia in Georgia’s occupied territories and in the region and thanked the ambassadors for their support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russia and the de-facto leadership of the two occupied regions of Georgia have not allowed any international mission on the ground.

The European Union Monitoring Mission is the only unit which monitors the situation at the occupation lines.

Twenty-five permanent representatives to the OSCE are traveling to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan from 18 to 22 June 2018.

In all three countries, the ambassadors will meet with representatives of the national authorities and parliaments, as well as with civil society,” the OSCE press office says.

They will use the opportunity to see the reality on the ground first hand and to convey messages to the national authorities and others whom they will meet during the trip,” an official statement by OSCE reads.

OSCE says that the visit aims to reconfirm the ambassadors’ support to stability, peace and prosperity in line with OSCE commitments and principles as well as their support to the OSCE’s past, current and potential future engagement in each of the three countries.