Georgian ruling party MPs visit occupation line, say Russian occupation “temporary”

Irakli Beraia, the Chair of the Parliament's Defence and Security Committee from the ruling Georgian Dream, and five other lawmakers from the party on Thursday visited the administrative line separating the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region from the rest of the country and called the occupation “temporary”.

The Parliament’s press office said the MPs observed illegal infrastructure set up by Russian-controlled occupation forces adjacent to the central Georgian region, between the villages of Perevi and Kardzmani.

Beraia said the “artificial barriers” were “temporary” and the occupation of 20 percent of Georgian territories by Russia would “inevitably end”. 

The MPs have highlighted the "great efforts" of the country's Interior Ministry and the State Security Service for ensuring safety at ABLs. 

Russian occupation is the biggest threat to our country and a great challenge to the rules-based international order”, he said, pointing to the necessity of international pressure on Russia to ensure its compliance with the 2008 ceasefire agreement that ended the war between the two countries.

He also highlighted the importance of maintaining “peace and stability” in the country on the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, and proceeding with “continuous development of the country and [ensuring] its Euro-Atlantic integration” to facilitate an end to the ongoing occupation.