Georgia’s ruling party official: framing Abkhazia, Tskhinvali region issues as barriers to EU integration could have serious political consequences

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s parliamentary faction, said on Tuesday that any political initiative concerning Russian-occupied Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region should serve the peaceful resolution of the conflict, the protection of the rights of Georgia’s Abkhaz and Ossetian citizens, and the restoration of peaceful coexistence within Georgia’s internationally recognised borders.

In a social media message, Kirtskhalia said no political objective should become grounds for accepting the consequences of occupation, revising Georgia’s internationally recognised borders, or rejecting the prospect of relations with Abkhaz and Ossetian citizens.

He added that Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were not subjects for political compromise.

“Amid the Georgian Prime Minister’s visit to the United States, when issues of vital importance to Georgia are to be raised from the UN General Assembly’s highest podium, the statements made by Nika Gvaramia concerning Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region deserve particular attention”, the official said.

“Following the harmful statements made by Mikheil Saakashvili and Giorgi Baramidze, Nika Gvaramia’s position once again raises the question of what place the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity occupies in the opposition’s vision of European integration”, he continued.

Kirtskhalia said portraying the issues of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region as obstacles to European integration could have serious political consequences.

“First and foremost, this concerns our Abkhaz and Ossetian citizens, with whom restoring trust and peaceful coexistence is an important objective of Georgia’s state policy”, he noted.

Kirtskhalia stressed that political positions on Georgia’s European integration and the restoration of its territorial integrity could differ, but said the public had the right to know what each political force stood for and why it was “choosing this treacherous path”.

“It is a fact that, as with all other anti-state actions, these agents receive support from external forces. Moreover, they follow instructions received from abroad to the letter. However, Georgian society understands their propaganda messages very well”, he said.

Kirtskhalia reiterated that Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were not subjects for political compromise.

“Any political initiative concerning Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region should serve the peaceful resolution of the conflict, the protection of the rights of our Abkhaz and Ossetian citizens, and the restoration of peaceful coexistence within Georgia’s internationally recognised borders”, he said.

“Every step taken by the Georgian Government and the Georgian state serves this goal, and attempts by so-called politicians have no prospects”, Kirtskhalia concluded.