Georgian president meets OSCE ambassadors, says occupied regions should be monitored
Tweet 
Share
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.
The OSCE Permanent Council denounces so-called parliamentary elections in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia and the decision of the de-facto government of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) to hold a referendum on changing the name of the region and joining the Russian Armed Forces.
The Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship expressed concern over the closure of two crossing-points between Georgia and occupied Abkhazia today.
The Russian occupation of Georgian territories and recent acts of land-grabbing were discussed at the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) yesterday.
The Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is the principal decision making body of the organization, has hosted discussions on the occupation of Georgian territories yesterday.
“Installation of artificial barriers and barbed wire fences further aggravated the humanitarian conditions of conflict affected population. We are deeply concerned over the systematic violation of the fundamental human rights including the ethnic discrimination against the Georgians in both occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, "Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said.
The OSCE Group of Friends of Georgia has reaffirmed its ‘unwavering support’ to Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty at the 25th Ministerial Council meeting in Milan, Italy.