Georgian Parliament official on OSCE PA session: this summit marked end of international law paradigm of recent decades

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, on Thursday discussed the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe held in the Hague, saying that the session marked the end of the understanding of international law that has prevailed globally for decades.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Makhashvili noted that the developments surrounding the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly should be viewed in three contexts.

“The first is international law, the second is the collective attack on the Georgian state, and the third is the Assembly itself”, he said.

“As for international law, we can confidently say that it no longer exists. Today, instead of the rule of law, there is the rule of force. Whoever possesses power, military strength, and bombs can seize another country. Conflicts, wars, and confrontation have become the global norm, replacing dialogue, which was the very essence of international law”, the Chair continued.

Makhashvili added that for the past several years, the Georgian Government has been working to break this cycle and lead the country out of this vicious circle, “so that war is no longer regarded as the norm”.

“This is precisely where the core issue lies. There were discussions behind the scenes questioning who we are as a country and what gives us the right to try to escape this vicious cycle of war. They asked, ‘Who do you think you are? As a small state, you are tied to the yoke of war and obliged to bear it’”, he concluded.