European Parliament Plans to Adopt Resolution on Georgia’s Occupation
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, March 21
The European Parliament (EP) is going to adopt a resolution on Georgia’s occupation, marking 10th year since Georgia-Russia August war 2008, which left 20% of Georgian territories occupied.
The information was released by Georgian Ambassador to the European Union, Natali Sabanadze.
She explained that political groups of the European Parliament are at present considering who will draft the resolution, adding the document is likely to be adopted this summer.
Sabanadze also positively assessed the fact that the Parliament of Georgia is also adopting a resolution on the human rights violations in the occupied regions and on the occupation victims’ Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list.
The ambassador presumed that the document adopted in Georgia may be reflected in the European Parliament’s resolution as well.
“Efforts aimed at adopting the resolution by the European Parliament are underway. The Georgian parliament’s decision is also very timely. We will try to achieve that the European Parliament supports this document too”, said Sabanadze.
The Georgian Dream majority and the parliamentary minority agreed on the resolution on Archil Tatunashvili’s case, a Georgian soldier who died in unclear circumstances in the occupied Tskhinvali region on February 23, as well as on the list which will include the people who violated Georgians’ rights in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali and Abkhazia regions.
The resolution will be allegedly voted in Parliament on March 21, while until June 15 the government of Georgia will present the list to lawmakers naming the people who have been charged for kidnaping, torture, inhuman treatment, deliberate damage to health, concealing of crime and other grave offences to Georgian citizens.
The resolution will also demand the safe return of internally displaced persons from the occupied regions to their homes in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
Elaboration of the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list was the initiative of the European Georgia opposition party.
Giga Otkhozoria, a 30-year-old Georgian citizen, was killed by a Russia-controlled border guard Rashid Kanji Ogli in 2016, on the territory currently controlled by Georgia.
Tamar Khulordava, the Chair of the Committee on European Integration welcomed the cooperation from the opposition regarding the resolution.
"Occupation of our territories is one of the most serious problems facing our country, and our consolidation around this problem is very important. I welcome that we will adopt a resolution that will be supported not only by one party," Khulordava said.
As for the so-called Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list in the resolution, according to Khulordava, the government determines the relevant agency that will work on this list, adding it can be the Prosecutor's Office.
She says a range of sanctions will be imposed on the people in list, explaining that these may be visa-restrictions or declaring these persons internationally wanted.
“We need to work with our international partners regarding the issue,” the Chair of the Committee on European Integration added.
