Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker highlights historic successes at ECHR and ICC amid territorial integrity challenges

Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker Giorgi Kakhiani on Friday addressed the 51st Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, highlighting Georgia’s commitment to multilateralism, state sovereignty, and the rules-based international order.

Speaking on behalf of the Georgian parliamentary delegation, Kakhiani thanked the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie and the Parliament of the Republic of Cameroon for hosting the forum and providing a platform for discussions on global challenges.

“It is a great honour for me to address the 51st Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, which is being held in Yaoundé, the capital of the Republic of Cameroon. On behalf of the Georgian parliamentary delegation, I would like to express my gratitude to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie and the Parliament of the Republic of Cameroon for hosting this important forum and for their exceptionally warm hospitality”, Kakhiani said.

The Vice Speaker noted that Georgia remains firmly committed to multilateral cooperation and respect for the sovereignty of states, describing these principles as essential foundations of the international system.

“For our country, these principles are not merely theoretical concepts; they are a daily reality at a time when our territorial integrity continues to be violated and foreign military forces remain stationed on part of our territory”, he noted.

Addressing the situation in Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions, Kakhiani said that Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region remain under the illegal occupation of the Russian Federation, which, according to him, is accompanied by human rights violations and breaches of international law.

“Dear colleagues, the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali continue to remain under the illegal occupation of the Russian Federation, a situation marked by grave human rights violations and numerous serious breaches of international law. The Russian-backed separatist regimes deprive Georgian children of the right to receive education in their native language, distort Georgia's religious and cultural heritage, and systematically resort to abductions, arbitrary detentions, acts of torture, and, in some cases, the use of firearms against Georgian citizens living near the occupation lines”, he stressed.

He also highlighted the humanitarian consequences of the conflict, noting that Georgia continues to host around 300,000 refugees and internally displaced persons who were unable to return to their homes.

“Today, Georgia is home to approximately 300,000 refugees and internally displaced persons who are unable to return to their lawful places of residence, representing around 7.5% of the country's total population”, Kakhiani said.

According to him, the Georgian government inherited a number of serious challenges, including legal difficulties related to protecting the country’s territorial integrity.

“The current Government of Georgia inherited numerous serious challenges, including a legal vacuum concerning the country's territorial integrity. Despite these difficulties, we achieved historic victories both at the European Court of Human Rights and at the International Criminal Court”, he concluded.