The European Union`s diplomatic director, Catherine Ashton, on Thursday welcomed Georgia`s plan for rapprochement with the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, calling it a `significant step forward.
On Saturday, the Georgian government approved a seven-point strategy for `engagement through cooperation` in an attempt to woo the breakaways back under its control.
Ashton sees that as `a significant step forward towards a policy of engagement` and holds that `reaching out to the populations is a prerequisite for finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict,` her spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, said in a statement.
The plan foresees ice-breaking moves including `status-neutral` communications between Tbilisi and the breakaway zones, providing their citizens with travel documents and creating an international fund for development and reconciliation projects.
`The EU is ready to contribute to these efforts in line with its non-recognition and engagement policy and fully supports the approach based on confidence-building and facilitation of people-to-people contacts as well as freedom of movement,` Kocijancic said.
`The EU reiterates its firm support for the security and stability of Georgia, based on full respect for the principles of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity recognized by international law,` Kocijancic said.
