Parliament Committee Chair highlights EU’s role in ensuring “peace, stability” in Georgia

Maka Botchorishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's European Integration Committee, on Tuesday reviewed Georgia-European Union cooperation and the role of the bloc in “ensuring peace and stability” in the country at the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy in Bruges.

The official thanked EU member states for their contribution to the bloc’s Monitoring Mission in Georgia, observing developments along the lines separating the Russian-occupied regions from the rest of the country.

It is noteworthy that the EUMM has no access to the occupied territories of Georgia as envisaged under its mandate. [...] [T]his is due to the Russian aggressive policy, and it is vitally important for us to prevent successful continuation of this aggression. That is why the support for the non-recognition [of the regions by the international community] is so principal”, Botchorishvili said.

She also discussed efforts for the convergence of Georgia with the EU foreign policy, contributions of the country in EU-led international peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic and Mali. 

The lawmaker also noted the commitment of the Georgian Government to enforcing the sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, and told the Conference it had “undertaken proactive measures to prevent the use of our territories for evasion from the sanctions imposed on Russia, including the financial sanctions”.