PM Bakhtadze: Situation in Georgian occupied regions is a humanitarian catastrophe

The conference organised by the Progressive Alliance global network and hosted by the Georgian Dream ruling party in Tbilisi will come to an end tomorrow. Photo: Prime Minister’s press office.

Agenda.ge, 07 Sep 2018 - 15:52, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the humanitarian situation in the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), which are now occupied by Russia, is equal to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Before the war [in 2008] 120,000 people lived in Tskhinvali, now the number has decreased to 20,000. Out of the 20,000, 7,000 are Russian servicemen. This is a very painful challenge that is nothing more than a humanitarian catastrophe,” Bakhtadze stated during the conference in Tbilisi, Future of Work in the Digital Era, organised by Progressive Alliance, a global network of social-democratic parties and organisations.

Bakhtadze said that the situation in Abkhazia is the same as before the conflict in 1990s, where the local population amounted to 500,000, while the number today is just 120,000.

Our response to the most painful issue is peace and development, building of democratic institutions and a country where all citizens will be able to use their talent and abilities in our common homeland,” Bakhtadze said.

However, it is natural that to achieve this goal we need the support of our allies and friends and we know that you stand firm by Georgian democracy,” Bakhtadze said.

Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze spoke about the historic choice of Georgians for Europe and said that the occupation of Georgian lands should be a challenge not only for Georgia, also for the country’s international partners.