“Important” for EU to call Russia’s occupation of Georgian lands in official documents “by name” - Parliament Speaker
Papuashvili stressed the Government was “responsible with ensuring severe security risks” in the occupied territories “did not materialise” by use of both “internal and foreign tools”. Photo: Shalva Papuashvili’s Facebook
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Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Tuesday noted official documents of the European Union did not use the term “occupation” to describe Russia’s illegal actions in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions of Georgia and said it was “important” for the bloc to change the policy over the matter.
The official’s comment came following the killing of Tamaz Ginturi, a Georgian citizen, on Monday following an illegal arrest attempt by Russian-controlled occupation forces near the village of Kirbali, adjacent to central Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali region, and arrest of another Georgian national.
Papuashvili stressed the Georgian Government was “responsible with ensuring severe security risks” in the occupied territories “did not materialise” by use of both “internal and foreign tools”.
He noted the Government was expecting international reaction to the latest incident adjacent to the administrative line separating the two regions from the rest of the country and called for punishment of the offenders after extending his condolences to the family of the deceased.
This is a severe consequence of the occupation. That is why it is important to end it”, Papuashvili said, and added the ceasefire agreement, signed through European Union mediation by Georgia and Russia following the war between the states in 2008, had not been fulfilled by Moscow since the conflict.
The official stressed it was “important” for the international community to “increase pressure” on Russia to force it to act in accordance with the document and withdraw its troops from Georgian territories.
Matthew Miller, the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, on Monday condemned the killing of a Georgian citizen by Russia’s occupying forces near a village adjacent to the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Irakli Antadze, the Deputy Head of the Analytical Department of the Georgian State Security Service, on Monday said the country’s authorities had demanded “immediate release” of a Georgian citizen illegally detained by occupation forces on Monday, and punishment of individuals responsible for the killing of another national of the country in the same incident, in a meeting with de facto authorities of the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday called on the international community to make an “appropriate assessment and response” to the death of a Georgian citizen following an illegal arrest attempt by Russian-controlled occupation forces near a village adjacent to the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in central Georgia.
A Georgian citizen has died following an attempt of illegal arrest by Russian-controlled occupation forces near a village adjacent to the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in central Georgia, with another Georgian national detained, the State Security Service said on Monday.
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, on Tuesday said the killing of a Georgian citizen by Russian occupying forces on Monday had proved that the conflict was “not frozen” and “our citizens are constantly in danger on the Russian occupation line”.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday said the bloc “strongly condemned” the killing of a Georgian citizen and the detention of another one by Russian occupying forces near a village adjacent to central Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday said Russia's “century-old” policy of kidnapping and killing Georgian citizens in the country’s territory had “no end”, following the killing of a Georgian national by Russian occupying forces near a village adjacent to central Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on Monday.
Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Union Integration Committee, on Tuesday said Russia's “imperial ambitions” continued to undermine “our common European security”.