EU foreign ministers extended on Monday the EU monitoring mission (EUMM) in Georgia by one year.
The ministers adopted a decision extending the mandate of the European Union monitoring mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia) by twelve months until 14 September 2011, an official EU statement released by the EU said.
Georgian lawmakers have hailed the decision and said that the European Union is the international organization, which will never leave Russia`s activities without observation in the region.
`It is very important that the EU monitoring mission remains in Georgia especially after Russia succeeded to block the extension of UN and OSCE missions. EU is and will always be the organization, which will always have its representatives in Georgia and will never leave Russia in the occupied territories without control,` Vice Speaker Mikheil Machavariani told journalists.
The EUMM Georgia, consisting of 225 international monitors, began operating two months after a short-lived war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008. The mission`s goal is to ensure that all sides abide by the ceasefire terms they agreed to in September 2008.