Saakashvili on EU’s Stance on Georgia

President Saakashvili said on September 10, that “through diplomatic pressure and dialogue” EU would achieve deployment of its observers inside breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Speaking at a live televised meeting with local administration in the town of Gori on September 10, President Saakashvili said he wanted to brief them about the visit of his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, to Georgia.

“The first stage is withdrawal of [Russian] troops from these villages [of Gori district in the south from the South Ossetian administrative border], as well as from Samegrelo [region, adjacent to breakaway Abkhazia],” he said.

“The second stage involves achieving the situation, through diplomatic pressure and dialogue, wherein EU [observers’] mandate will cover the entire territory of Georgia, including Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.”

“It is firm position of EU that all the displaced persons, both those who fled [Abkhazia and South Ossetia] in early 90s and those who became displaced persons recently, should return back to their homes. This is the firm position of the French President and he spoke about it publicly.”

“It is also the EU’s firm position that Georgia’s territorial integrity should be protected and guaranteed. If Russia fails to fulfill it, Russia will be even more isolated than the Soviet Union was during the cold war… Russia’s economy will fail to endure such [isolation].”

Saakashvili also said that Georgia would no need “unity, solidarity and calmness.”

“We will need permanent dialogue with our people, who showed unimaginable firmness,” he added.

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