A European Parliament delegation that was on a visit to Georgia this week left the country on Friday after receiving a present from a civic activist living in central Georgia’s Russian-occupied Akhalgori district.
MEP Viola von Cramon, a member of the delegation who paid a visit to the Administrative Boundary Line separating central Georgia’s Russian-controlled Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region from the rest of the country, said on Friday she was leaving the country with “mixed feelings”.
???????? Mission to #Georgia is over. Leaving with mixed feelings.
— Viola von Cramon (@ViolavonCramon) July 22, 2022
Highlight was this handmade gift from Tamara #Mearakishvili, Georgian lady currently in house arrest by separatists. Many thanks for your bravery, Tamara. I believe in bright future of ???????? because of people like you. pic.twitter.com/2oCfwfBB5C
In her message before departure, von Cramon posted a picture of a handmade present from Tamara Mearakishvili, a Georgian civic activist living in the Russian-controlled Akhalgori district of the occupied region.
The activist had been suppressed by the local de facto authorities for years due to her civic activities, facing several charges and an unlawful expulsion from the occupied territory.
I hosted today a delegation from @EP_ForeignAff. It is so important to give #EU policymakers the opportunity to observe how security developments such as ‘borderisation’ has a detrimental impact on the freedom of movement of the local population.
— Marek Szczygieł (@EUMMGeorgia_HoM) July 21, 2022
ℹ https://t.co/PArli4qj3D pic.twitter.com/kR0LJKubUg
The delegation of MEPs departed Georgia after holding a series of meetings with almost all domestic political players and non-governmental organisations. They held discussions with Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, President Salome Zourabichvili, members of the opposition parties, Public Defender and NGOs.
The group led by David McAllister, the Chairman of the EP Committee on Foreign Relations, included MEPs Željana Zovko, Sven Mikser, Viola von Cramon, Thierry Mariani and Assita Kanko.
In their meetings, the delegation encouraged the domestic opposition to join the ruling Georgian Dream party’s Parliamentary format for obtaining the European Union membership candidate status for the country.