US Ambassador to OSCE: Georgian Gov’t stance on occupied regions “very responsible” amid calls for armed action
Asked how acceptable were the statements by some Ukrainian authorities calling on the Georgian Government to open a second front in the war and retake the Russian-occupied territories by force, Carpenter noted the restraint shown over the matter. Photo: Twitter/Michael Carpenter
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Michael Carpenter, the United States Ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, on Monday said the Georgian Government behaved “very responsibly” in its stance toward its Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions amid calls for armed action over the territories on the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Asked how acceptable were the statements by some Ukrainian authorities calling on the Georgian Government to open a second front in the war and retake the Russian-occupied territories by force, Carpenter noted the restraint shown over the matter.
The Georgian Government has behaved very responsibly when it comes to its own territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, and we have, of course, been steadfast supporters of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,” he said.
The American diplomat also noted there was an European Union monitoring mission on the ground in Georgia, and the OSCE also participated in the Incident Response and Prevention Mechanisms that facilitate talks between Georgian agencies and de facto authorities in the occupied regions.
Zbigniew Rau, the Chairman-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, has extended his gratitude to Georgian authorities and citizens for their support for Ukraine, noting the OSCE commended the country’s “unconditional” support for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
The Georgian Government would like to ask Ukrainian authorities to take a “responsible approach” to relations established between the nations, Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Monday following claims about alleged talks between Russia and Georgia over re-export of Russian goods to third countries.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday told the United States-based National Public Radio it was “important” the US offer “outspoken” support to Georgia and Moldova while offering help to Ukraine in its defence against the ongoing Russian invasion.
Providing military assistance to Ukraine and opening a second front in Georgia in the war are the two questions the Georgian Government cannot be expected to take part in, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Thursday in an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster.
A range of cooperation topics between the Government of Georgia and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights was discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci.
Michael Carpenter, the ambassador of the United States to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, on Monday called ties between the US and Georgia a partnership “between democracies that share common values”.