Parliament Speaker: Georgia has demonstrated solidarity to Ukraine despite occupation risks

Georgia has shown its solidarity with Ukraine through political acts despite the Russian occupation of two of its regions and presence of Russian troops in the territories, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Monday.

Papuashvili said the invasion of Ukrainian territories by Russia had created a “significant security risk” for the entire world, noting the “increasingly fragile environment” for the international community since the launch of the military action last year.

“We now face a huge security issue as a result of Russia's severe and illegal occupation of Ukraine. It is crucial that we stand together in solidarity with Ukraine in order to help the country achieve a decent peace”, Papuashvili said.

He said in spite of the Georgian Government's “appeals and warnings”, the West had not responded “appropriately” to Russia’s actions against Georgia during the 2008 war, which resulted in the occupation of two regions of Georgia and forced and illegal displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from the territories.

“Georgia is facing a high risk of a possible military escalation. While Georgia is actively using its one voice in the international arena to help Ukraine, it should be pointed out that the country is not covered by NATO's security umbrella and does not gain from the European Union's economic solidarity”, he added.