Georgian Parliament Speaker: Russia’s revanchist policy is a major challenge to region

The Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze believes that Russia’s revanchist foreign policy is the major challenge to regional security.

Kobakhidze stated this today in Georgia’s coastal city of Batumi, delivering a speech at the 97th NATO PA Rose-Roth Seminar.

Security of Georgia and Black Sea has been, is and will continue to be crucial for European and euro-Atlantic security NATO PA president says @Paoloalli#sembatumi@NATOpress@MargvelashviliG@ZPataradze@JanelidzeMkh@ikseso2005pic.twitter.com/FM5TD6ZHNn

— NATO PA (@natopapress) April 23, 2018

Russia’s actions in the region, especially in the last decade, have triggered a powerful earthquake that has seriously shaken the credibility of the international system and threatened the very foundations of the European security architecture.

Even now, while we are speaking here, Moscow is pursuing intensive military build-up in the occupied territories across the region. The human rights situation in the occupied regions in Georgia is in the worst condition, and the explicit or creeping annexation of the territories of sovereign countries manifests daily in Russia’s aggressive actions,” Kobakhidze stated.

The main challenge for #Georgia is handling Russia's policy, consisting of #Propaganda, #Hybrid and #Cyber warfare. - Attended #NATO PA seminar in #Batumipic.twitter.com/R0syj8HNLU

— President Of Georgia (@MargvelashviliG) April 23, 2018

He called on the international community not to be blind to Russian aggressive actions.

The firm stance of the international community is essential to send a clear message to Russia that this policy directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and other regional countries, and redrawing the borders in Europe through invasion and occupation is not acceptable,” Kobakhidze said.

Kobakhidze stated that EU and NATO integration is the top foreign policy priority of Georgia and within the constitutional reform of 2017, "it is now guaranteed on the constitutional level.”

The Georgian President stated at the same conference that he hoped at the upcoming NATO summit the world leaders will manage to deliver a response document against Russia’s actions.

I strongly believe that Georgia will destroy the illegal barbed-wire fences like Germany destroyed the Berlin Wall,” Margvelashvili said.

The Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria stated that Russia "fully controls” Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions and the country is "fully responsible” for all the illegalities in the breakaway areas.

The conference will end on April 25.