Georgian Parliament official: EU has announced allocation of major financial aid to Syria, yet not demanded reversal of Syria’s recognition of so-called independence of Abkhazia, Tskhinvali regions

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the chair of the foreign relations committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday criticised the European Union for allocating a major financial aid package for Syria but not demanding the reversal of Syria’s recognition of the so-called independence of Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions by the new Government in Damascus.

In his address at the winter meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Samkharadze assessed European states’ cultivation of cordial ties with the very states and regimes that recognised Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region as independent states at the behest of Moscow as a gross violation of international law.

“Up to this date, many European states and the European Union refrain from officially using the term “occupation” when describing Russian presence in Georgia’s occupied territories. Moreover, while presenting themselves as staunch defenders of international law they cultivate cordial ties with the very states and regimes that recognize Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region as independent states at the behest of Moscow, thereby grossly violating international law”, Samkharadze said.

Samkharadze recalled two vivid examples of the violation of international law by the EU.

“Recently, the EU has announced the allocation of a major financial aid package for 2026-2027 to Syria that exceeds 600 million euros. Yet the EU has not tied financial aid to the reversal of Syria’s recognition of the so-called independence of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (so-called “South Ossetia”) by the new Government in Damascus”, he added.

“Same goes for EU’s support to another violator of Georgia’s territorial integrity - the pacific island of Nauru. Nauru is included in programs under the EU’s Regional Pacific Cooperation framework, the Global Gateway initiative, etc., aimed at bolstering its climate resilience, sustainable development, public finance management and so forth, with the funds amounting to millions of euros in total. Neither in this case had the EU urged Nauruan authorities to stop violating international law and withdraw recognition of the so-called independence of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region”, he continued.

Samkharadze further noted that granting financial aid to violators of the territorial integrity further eroded this fundamental principle of international law.

“Therefore, any financial aid given to violators of international law should be conditioned upon their respect of its core norms”, he concluded.