Strategy on the occupied territories presented
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, December 25
The strategy states that the conflict between Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia should be settled only by peaceful means, without any kind of military intervention. "Georgia is not going to reconcile itself to the present situation on the ground and give up the occupied regions. Reintegration of the territories should be undertaken, but only in a peaceful way,” Iakobashvili said.
The Ministry has taken into account the viewpoints of analysts and opposition representatives in order to ensure the strategy is successful, said Iakobashvili, who added that joint work on such an important document is in the interests of the country and taking Abkhazian and South Ossetian residents' viewpoints into consideration also has significant importance. "We have tried to create a document which will be effective and enable the Georgian side to find ways to regulate the problem. The document has been drafted in such a way as to reflect the interests of the communities of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.,” the Minister said.
MPs present commented on the document. Shota Malashkhia suggested that the creation of such a document, the first of its kind in Georgian history, is an extremely serious matter and it will clarify what issues are to be focused on. "Each side has its own responsibilities and should fulfil them. There are some issues the Georgian side should regulate and this document will concretely enable us to make adequate decisions on how to behave towards the occupied regions,” Malashkhia stated.
Positive relations between Georgians and the breakaway regions’ residents are to play a positive role in conflict regulation and the document foresees this. MP Akaki Minashvili said that the document addresses all the important issues concerned with this problem. "The strategic document is perfectly drafted and includes all serious matters connected with the regional difficulties,” Minashvili said.
The existence of the strategy has been received positively by the opposition Christian Democratic Movement. Its member Nika Laliashvili said that this is a very important step forward. "Everyone should realise the importance of this strategic document, and more consensus and less criticism is needed on this issue,” Laliashvili said. However, Alliance for Georgia doubts that the present Government of Georgia will be able to undertake an effective policy towards the occupied territories. "Although the document itself is a positive step, it is not clear how the authorities plan to implement it. The Georgian Government has no resources at the present moment for its implementation,” Viktor Dolidze, an Alliance representative, noted.
MP Paata Davitaia stated that the leaders of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia will do their best to prevent the document achieving its real purpose. "The document will remain only a paper exercise if the occupied region’s leaders are not made to answer for their crimes. If they are not, they will continue to conduct anti-Georgian propaganda and resist the implementation of the strategy,” Davitaia said.
Some participants of the meeting demanded that the Sochi Olympics and the occupied regions' ecosystem be discussed in more detail in the document. They also made several remarks about the terminology used in the document and its name, which has not yet been agreed. Iakobashvili said that this was the first discussion of this document and these comments would be taken into account during more detailed work on the strategy. He said that this work would start from January 1 and be completed by June 31. Iakobashvili mentioned that this would be a very hard and labour-consuming process as details concerning the economy, health services and other important issues in the occupied regions will need to be agreed, and how collaboration on such issues will be successful, and acceptable, for the residents of those regions.