Georgian MFA issues appeal to Russia on August war’s anniversary Tbilisi accuses Moscow of evading ceasefire agreement implementation

On the 14th anniversary of the occupation of Georgian territories, Russia has been failing to implement the European Union-brokered ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, and expanding its illegal control in the occupied regions.

The statement came from the Georgian Foreign Ministry on August 7, Report informs.

According to the ministry, gross violations of fundamental human rights in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, ethnic discrimination and violation of the right of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes continue to be a heavy humanitarian burden of Russia's illegal occupation.

“Today, August 7, 2022, marks 14 years since the open military intervention carried out by the Russian Federation against Georgia in 2008, as a result of which Russia illegally occupied the inalienable regions of Georgia - Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region / South Ossetia and recognized them as so-called "independent states". On the 14th anniversary of the occupation, Russia continues to defy the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, and expand its illegal control over the occupied regions. By erecting barbed wire and other barriers on the occupation line, illegal arrests and kidnappings, a gross violation of human rights, and ethnic discrimination against Georgians, Russia is dealing a blow to the security, human rights and humanitarian environment on the ground, thereby, among other things, trying to isolate people living in the occupied territories, from the rest of Georgia and the international community.

Encouraging impunity in the cases of the murders of David Basharauli, Gigi Otozoria and Archil Tatunashvili increases the risk of ethnically motivated violence. Against this background, the issues of unimpeded access to international human rights organizations and the deployment of international security mechanisms on the ground, as well as the entry of the EU monitoring mission into Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, despite the mandate of the mission, which, unfortunately, had been blocked by the occupying power, have become even more problematic.

Amidst these difficulties, the decision of the European Court of Human Rights of January 21, 2021, in relation to the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, legally confirmed that the Russian Federation occupies the regions of Georgia - Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia and exercises effective control over them, Russia held accountable for gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms was taken on the ground. This decision, which is the first legal assessment of the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, shows that the Russian Federation's long-term attempts to avoid legal responsibility for the illegal occupation and its consequences are futile. Georgia continues to pursue a policy of peaceful settlement of the Russian-Georgian conflict and is aimed at the integration and peaceful development of the country, restoring trust between societies separated by the line of occupation, building a common European future, using diplomatic and legal instruments, in close cooperation with international partners.

Georgia is grateful to the international community for its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and hails the contribution of international partners to the process of peaceful settlement of the Russian-Georgian conflict. This support is of particular importance today, when Russia, with its military aggression against Ukraine, continues to violate the principles of international law and undermine the security of Europe. The Foreign Ministry calls on the Russian Federation to stop illegal and provocative actions against Georgia, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, fulfil its obligations to the European Union under the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, withdraw its forces from the territory of Georgia and change the illegal decision to recognize the so-called occupied territories of Georgia…

The Foreign Ministry takes this opportunity to express its condolences to the soldiers who died heroically in the 2008 war,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.