Georgian FM raises occupation, PM’s peace initiative at OSCE event
Georgian FM Ilia Darchiashvili is attending the 29th meeting of the ministerial council of OSCE in Poland. Photo: foreign ministry press office
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Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday addressed the occupation of Georgian territories by Russia and the regional Peaceful Neighborhood Initiative by the country’s prime minister Irakli Garibashvili at the ongoing 29th meeting of the ministerial council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Visiting Łódź ???????? to participate in 29th #OSCEMC22, happening under the chairmanship of Poland. I have once again focused on challenges???????? is facing, occupation, in particular. Accentuated the peace initiative, which takes on special importance amid the developments in the region. pic.twitter.com/1lyJlK6vQG
— Ilia Darchiashvili (@iliadarch) December 1, 2022
Attending the event in Łódź, Poland, the Georgian official official said the PM’s initiative, which aims to mediate for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, carried “special importance” amid the current developments in the region sparked by the Russia-Ukraine war.
The annual meeting of the foreign ministers of the 57 OSCE participating states will review and assess the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area, as well as the organisation's work.
Held at the invitation of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Polish FM Zbigniew Rau, the event kicked off on Thursday and will end on Friday.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday hailed the Peaceful Neighbourhood initiative, launched by him to facilitate talks between South Caucasus countries, at a press conference with visiting Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev in the central Georgian city of Mtskheta.
Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday said the government was “actively working” with neighbouring countries and partners both in Central Asia and in the European Union to further strengthen its role as a “strong contributor” to peace and energy security in the South Caucasus region.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said Georgia was “ready to play its own role” in ensuring peace in the South Caucasus region “within its capabilities”.
The South Caucasus Peaceful Neighbourhood Initiative, a dialogue platform for normalisation of relations in the region and cooperation in mutually beneficial areas of economy, trade and culture was discussed on Saturday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
The bilateral cooperation, “close” and “friendly” relations between Georgia and Sweden were discussed on Thursday by the Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili and his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström in a meeting held within the framework of the 29th OSCE ministerial council in Łódź.
The Georgian government remains committed to a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict, foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili said on Thursday in his address at the ministerial council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Group of Friends of Georgia on Friday delivered a statement reaffirming their “full support” for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.