Georgian Parliamentary official highlights elections, conflicts, Gov’t's “peaceful policy” in OSCE PA session

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the European Integration Committee in the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday addressed a session of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Dublin, where she raised the country’s occupation issues, the Government's “peaceful” reintegration policies and the forthcoming October 26 general elections. 

In her address during the debate on conflicts and security issues, Botchorishvili stressed "Georgia, a member of the OSCE, is a country that has been experiencing the consequences of neglecting international norms for decades. Conflict, violation of territorial integrity, and the occupation of two regions of Georgia by Russia - along with its military bases - represent the challenges my country has been facing for three decades”.

In this context, the senior lawmaker highlighted the Government's peace policy, emphasising the involvement of international actors in the process and the importance of resolving the conflicts on the territory of the country peacefully to restore the country’s territorial integrity.

As a result of 10-year efforts of the Georgian Government, decisions of international courts today bolster our position. We are now equipped to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the conflict using both political and legal arguments”, Bochorishvili added.

She also discussed the upcoming general elections, stressing the “challenges for stable development in the country amid a complex geopolitical environment”. 

During recent years, Georgia has repeatedly faced the threat of destabilisation, which makes the security of the country even more vulnerable. We have also seen some campaigns of international scale, which mostly are devoid of objective foundations, but harm the reputation of the country", the MP said, adding “important parliamentary elections are ahead of us. It is in the interest of the Government that elections are held in compliance with the law and international standards, not allowing anyone to undermine elections and raise doubts about the choice of Georgia, as has already happened in the past”. 

In her closing remarks, Botchorishvili highlighted the “vital role” of the OSCE observation mission during the elections and the importance of objective conclusions from its assessments.