Landmark UK-Germany foreign, security policy declaration supports Georgian territorial integrity
The document concerns many issues and covers the region of Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. Photo: dw.com.
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A joint landmark declaration on foreign and security policy cooperation between the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and the full implementation of the 2008 ceasefire agreement.
The British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas signed the joint declaration on June 30, 2021.
The document concerns many issues and covers the region of Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus.
We reaffirm our shared commitment to security, stability, prosperity, democracy and the rule of law in Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus and support multilateral cooperation”, says the declaration.
The Ambassador of Georgia to the UK Sophie Katsarava tweeted:
“We underline our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of #Georgia and for the full implementation of the 2008 ceasefire agreement”- a joint landmark declaration signed by the ????????and???????? pledging closer future cooperation on foreign and security policy. https://t.co/zNuryoWWI3
— Sophie Katsarava MBE (@SophieKatsarava) June 30, 2021
The joint declaration also talks about ‘the need for a lasting political solution between Armenia and Azerbaijan as the only way for rapprochement and reconciliation of the two people.’
The joint declaration covers over 20 issues, demonstrating UK-German commitment to continue to provide leadership on issues of global importance.
This is the first bilateral agreement between the UK and Germany on foreign and security policy issues, which sets out shared UK-Germany priorities and ambitions on a range of issues including climate change, China and the Indo-Pacific and shared values.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has met with her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris today. During their meeting the two presidents pledged to deepen the political and economic ties between their countries, as well as the role of the European Union in the Black Sea region.
The Georgian government has established a commission to create a Georgian State Strategy for Deoccupation and Peaceful Conflict Resolution. The commission will be managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The commission will be set up with public involvement, and will develop an inclusive and comprehensive state strategy by the end of the year.
The European Union says it will continue to raise Russia’s consistent breaches of international law in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere prominently, including through initiatives with like-minded partners.
“Georgia’s relationship with the alliance contains all the practical tools to prepare for eventual membership. We are working closely with Georgia on security in the Black Sea region, in response to Russia’s increasingly destabilising activities, and welcome the steps taken to implement the refreshed Substantial NATO-Georgia Package. We stand ready to enhance our support to Georgia, including in building resilience against hybrid threats, in training and exercises, and in secure communications. We look forward to the next NATO-Georgia exercise in 2022,” said the communique.
The United States is grateful to Georgia for its ‘vital role’ facilitating the recent discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the government of Georgia following the release of 15 Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan yesterday.
Russian interference further deteriorated the human rights situation in occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), ‘with reports from local media of torture and ethnic discrimination,’ the report on Human Rights and Democracy 2020 of the United Kingdom (UK) says.
The unconditional release of Georgian citizens illegally detained by occupation forces has been at the top of the agenda of the 101st meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), which was held today in Ergneti, close to the Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). The issue of releasing Zaza Gakheladze and Genadi Bestaev, who are illegally detained in a prison in Tskhinvali, was discussed at the meeting.