On the 23rd of January 2014 during the 981st plenary session of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Permanent
Council, the Georgian delegation made a statement regarding the Russian
Federation's recent extension deeper into Georgian territory of the
11-kilometre-long section of border it shares with Georgia along the Psou River
because of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
The
Georgian representative emphasized the fact that the adoption of such a
decision by the Russian Federation without Georgia's consent is a gross
violation of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and contradicts
Russia's international commitments-most especially basic principles of
international law and the provisions of the 12 August 2008 Cease-fire Agreement.
The
Georgian representative continued by noting that as part of its preparations
for the Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia is sparing no effort to emphasize
Abkhazia's so-called "independence", and has even issued 500 passes
for vehicles registered in the region in gross violation, once again, of
Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Georgian side then called upon the Russian Federation to comply with
its international commitments and to refrain from politicizing the Olympic
Games.
The
delegations of the United States and the European Union both made statements in
which they expressed their support for Georgia as well as their concern over
the extension of the border deeper into Georgian territory. The statements also
reaffirmed US and EU support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial
integrity, and called upon the Russian Federation to comply with its
commitments under the 12 August 2008 Cease-fire Agreement; to allow the
European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) to carry out its mandated tasks
throughout the entire territory of Georgia; and to consent to the restoration
of an OSCE presence in Georgia which will be deployed on both sides of the
administrative boundary line.
The
proceedings of the 981st plenary session of the OSCE's Permanent Council showed
once again that the Russian Federation remains internationally isolated in
terms of its position on Georgia's occupied territories.
