TBILISI, September 18 – The Council of Europe has again called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgia’s breakaway regions.
The statement also urged Russia to comply with judgments in interstate cases brought by Tbilisi, while a faction of greens and socialists within the organization warned of what it described as intensified Russian efforts toward the de facto annexation of South Ossetia.
Georgia’s Justice Ministry said Thursday that the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers had reviewed implementation of European Court of Human Rights judgments in the interstate cases Georgia v. Russia. According to the ministry, the committee reaffirmed support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The committee called on Russia to withdraw military forces from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, end so-called borderization, ensure freedom of movement and access to property, and allow education in Georgian in the occupied territories. It also called for conditions allowing displaced people to return safely and voluntarily and for an end to killings, abductions, torture and illegal detention.
Earlier Thursday, the Council of Europe’s Socialists, Democrats and Greens political group said Russia had stepped up efforts toward the de facto annexation of South Ossetia. The group described this as part of a broader Russian strategy to establish control over neighboring territories, also citing Donbas and Crimea in Ukraine, Transnistria in Moldova and Abkhazia in Georgia.
The statements came as South Ossetia prepared to hold a presidential election on Friday, a vote that Tbilisi does not recognize.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Friday that Georgia’s objective remained ending the occupation and securing Russian recognition of the country’s territorial integrity. He also criticized the Council of Europe political group, accusing it of using Georgia’s territorial issue in its wider confrontation with Russia rather than acting out of concern for Georgia.
Papuashvili separately pointed to Georgia’s legal cases against Russia, saying the government had succeeded in international courts and that the focus now should be on ensuring that the judgments are not forgotten and that Russia is reminded of its obligations.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also welcomed the Committee of Ministers’ message on Friday. He said the occupation remained one of Georgia’s main national challenges and argued that the government had defended the country’s interests through international legal mechanisms, including proceedings in Strasbourg and The Hague.
