On the somber occasion of the 12th anniversary of the conflict erupted in August 2008, between Russian and Georgian forces, senior OSCE Parliamentary Assembly officials condemned the ongoing deterioration of the security, human rights and the humanitarian situation in the occupied territories of Georgia and reaffirmed its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.

Expressing deep concern that the aftermath of the conflict still affects health and lives of the conflict-affected population, in particular during the challenging time of the global COVID-19 pandemic, congressman Richard Hudson (United States), Costel Neculai Dunava (MP, Romania), and Laurynas Kasciunas (MP, Lithuania), the Chair, Vice-Chair and Rapporteur of the OSCE PA's General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, released the following statement:

“We recognize the necessity of ending the Russian Federation’s occupation and peacefully restoring respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. We once again underline the importance of reconciliation and confidence-building between the communities divided by war and the occupation line.”

The PA leaders recalled the 2019 Luxemburg Declaration Resolution on the Security and Human Rights Situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, And The Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia and urged the Russian Federation to uphold the fundamental norms and principles of international law and reverse its illegal decision on the recognition of the so-called independence of the occupied territories of Georgia.

The PA leaders also expressed deep concern that the EU Monitoring Mission, which remains the only international monitoring mechanism in Georgia since the closure of the relevant OSCE and UN missions, is continuously being denied access to the occupied regions.

“We express our support for the EUMM as a critical tool for information exchange and following up on incidents that impact the communities”.

In light of the 96th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), co-facilitated by Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Rudolf Michalka, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, which took place in Ergneti on the 30th of July, the PA leaders also welcomed the participants’ commitment to resume the regular dialogue in the IPRM format.

“We also express our hope for the Geneva International Discussion to resume as soon possible, in order to continue the constructive and result-oriented discussions aimed at achieving tangible results in this format.”