Peaceful restoration of territorial integrity Gov’t’s “main national task” - ruling party head
In his remarks, Kobakhidze cited the maintenance of “long-term” peace in the country as the “main result” of the Georgian Dream Government's policy. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said restoring the territorial integrity of the country was the “main national task” of the Government, in comments over the 31st anniversary of the 1992-1993 war in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region.
In his remarks, Kobakhidze cited the maintenance of “long-term” peace in the country as the “main result” of the Georgian Dream Government's policy.
“One of our tasks is to avoid war in our country in the most difficult situation, which we have successfully managed in the last year and a half, and I am sure that the processes will continue to develop [this way] in the future”, he said.
Our main national task is to restore territorial integrity in a peaceful way. I really hope that the processes in this direction will develop positively. This is one of our national dreams. I hope this dream will finally come true”, Kobakhidze said.
The party official also said Georgian Dream was the “only Government during which the country has not seen a war”.
We have our own policy, which we follow very strictly. It is a rational, pragmatic policy that allows us to achieve specific results, and one of the main results is the maintenance of peace. Of course, the ultimate goal of this policy is to restore territorial integrity”, he concluded.
The Abkhazia war began on August 14, 1992 and lasted for 13 months and 13 days, ending with the loss of the capital of Abkhazia, Sokhumi, on September 27, 1993, to separatist forces backed by militants from the North Caucasus and the Russian troops stationed in the region.
The conflict saw the sides negotiate a ceasefire in September 1992 which was broken by the Abkhaz and Russian forces a month later. The ceasefire that ended the conflict was signed in December 1993.
In August 2008, following a five-day war between Russia and Georgia, the Russian Government recognised the independence of Abkhazia, with the Georgian Parliament declaring it a Russian-occupied region of the country two days later - a view shared by the international community.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the “pragmatic” policy of the Government served to restore the territorial integrity of the country, in comments over the 31st anniversary of the 1992-1993 war in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the Government was pursuing development to “achieve the cherished goal of building a united and strong Georgia” together with compatriots in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, in comments marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the 1990s armed conflict in the former.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday highlighted the Government’s “reasonable and peaceful policy” with regards to the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions of the country and said the vision was “focused on restoring trust” between communities divided by conflicts in the territories, in his message for the 31st anniversary of the 1992-1993 war in the former.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday hailed his Government's policy of reconciliation and confidence-building between communities affected by the conflict in the country’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region in remarks on Abkhazia Day.
The security, humanitarian and human rights situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia was discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between Tea Akhvlediani, the Georgian State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, and Jesper Moller, UNICEF's newly appointed Representative in Georgia.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Wednesday said statements and actions incompatible with the principle of territorial integrity of Georgia were “categorically unacceptable and illegitimate”, after Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, on Tuesday said “the idea of joining Russia is still popular in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and it can be implemented if there is a good reason for it”.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said the statement of Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chair of the Security Council of Russia, about Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) was a “continuation” of occupation and “another attempt” to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the Georgian Government was “successfully implementing” the policy of non-recognition of the country’s Russian-occupied territories by foreign countries, and noted “no statement can prevent us from doing so”.
Flags on state institutions across Georgia were on Wednesday lowered to half-mast to mark an anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, the capital of the Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia during the war in the region in 1993.
Gia Volski, the Georgian Parliament’s Vice Speaker, on Thursday said there was “no formal deal” between Russia and Georgia’s Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia following claims by the de facto President of the region of a “new agreement” with Moscow about the deployment of a Russian naval base in the coastal city of Ochamchire.