Parliament official highlights Russian occupation of Georgian territories at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday said the issue of the Russian occupation of Georgian territories was raised “quite sharply” during his speech at the ongoing session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna

In his remarks, Samkharadze stressed it was “crucial” for everyone to mention that 20 percent of Georgia’s territories remained occupied by Russian forces.

He added that the issue of the Russian occupation of Georgian territories would be included in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly report on Friday.

“Unfortunately, the author of this report did not have a clear understanding of the occupation of Georgian territories, and we raised this issue quite sharply, reminding him and the entire audience that it is essential for everyone to mention that 20 percent of the country's territories are occupied, and approximately 8 percent of Georgia's population, or 300,000 people, have been displaced from their homes. I received a commitment that this issue would be clearly reflected in the report”, the Parliament official said.

“Today, we will also have a meeting with the newly elected Secretary General of the OSCE. We will discuss not only the conflict issues but also the situation in the country, including the events following the parliamentary elections, as well as the process we have planned in the Parliament”, he continued.

Samkharadze further emphasised that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was the main observing organisation for elections, and the Georgian delegation would also be discussing the parliamentary elections held last year.

“Our main argument is, first of all, the OSCE's conclusion, which stated that the elections were competitive; it also mentioned that political parties had free access to the media, despite the media being polarised, but access was available to everyone”, he noted.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly continues its work in Vienna, addressing key issues of security and politics among its member states.