Parliament Adopts Bipartisan Resolution on Foreign Policy

Parliament adopted on March 7 a resolution, drafted jointly by Georgian Dream and United National Movement, reiterating Georgia’s commitment to its pro-Western foreign policy course.

The resolution, passed unanimously by Parliament, represents a significantly revised and more extended version of a draft, which was first proposed by GD in its 14-point document; revisions were made mainly to reflect in the text many of those wordings, which were offered by UNM.

Reaching an agreement on the text “was not easy”, UNM lawmaker Giorgi Baramidze, who co-sponsored the resolution together with GD lawmakers, said and added that the resolution represented “a result of mutual compromises”. He said that this process eventually produced “a good document, which states clearly what our foreign policy course is.”

GD lawmaker Giorgi Volski said in response during the parliamentary hearings on March 7 that “compromise is not a right word” in this case, because reiterating Georgia’s aspiration to join NATO and EU required no compromises; he said that the initial text was amended as a result of a constructive joint work by GD and UNM MPs and the process was more about reaching “mutual understanding” to make the text even better. “We should continue our cooperation [on other issues] in the same spirit,” GD MP Volski said.

Below is an unofficial translation of Parliament’s “Resolution on Basic Directions of Georgia’s Foreign Policy”: 

Relying on the Georgian constitution, existing legislation and international treaties;

Being guided by the interests of the Georgian public, including by the will expressed in the results of the 2008 plebiscite [on NATO];

Considering that ensuring national security, de-occupation and restoration of territorial integrity represent a priority and implementation of these tasks are shared responsibility of political forces;

Confirming Georgia’s commitment for non-use of force, pledged by the President of Georgia in his address to the international community from the European Parliament in Strasburg on November 23, 2010;

Expressing an aspiration to foster establishing  Georgia’s reputation on the international arena as of a reliable partner having foreign policy built on the principles of international law;

Considering that the state strategy, built on the basis of cooperation and multilateral consultations between political forces, is essential for pursuing efficient policy and ensuring continuity in the sphere of foreign relations;

The Parliament of Georgia declares the basic directions of the country’s foreign policy:

1. The foreign policy course of Georgia is defined by Georgia’s national interests, stemming from the goal to ensure wellbeing of its citizens;

2. Creating security guarantees for the country; protecting its independence and sovereignty; de-occupation of its territories and restoration of the country’s territorial integrity in its internationally recognized borders represent Georgia’s foreign policy tasks;
 
3. Integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures represents the main priority of the country’s foreign policy course. For the purpose of achieving strategic priority of achieving membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Georgia will take further steps for building and strengthening of democratic institutions; establishing governance system based on the principle of rule of law and supremacy of human rights; ensuring irreversibility of sustainable economic development. Georgia will not join such international organizations, whose policies contradict these priorities;
     
4. Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic foreign policy course, first and foremost, serves sustainable democratic development and the country’s security and is not directed against any other state;

5. Georgia will pursue a consistent policy for implementation of the decisions made at the Bucharest [2008] and following summits of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in respect of Georgia. The most immediate task is to achieve an agreement on the modalities and timeframe;

6. Georgia fully shares commitment to be part of international efforts in reacting on challenges facing the world. In this respect, Georgia’s contribution to international peacekeeping, police and civilian operations represent one of the important components for protection of national interests;

7. The Georgian authorities will provide implementation of all those conditions, which will allow Georgia to successfully complete negotiations with the European Union on Association Agreement; Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and Visa Liberalisation Agreement;

8. Cooperation with the EU in frames of the Eastern Partnership and European Neighborhood Policy will develop in four main areas: democracy and human rights; approximation of EU legislation; environment protection and energy security; people-to-people contacts. Cooperation in development of peace processes is also considered as a priority area;

9. Georgia carries out its relations with the United States under the terms defined by the Strategic Partnership Charter. Four key areas are involved in frames of this Charter:

• Cooperation in defense and security, including implementation of enhanced program of defense cooperation, which aims at strengthening Georgia’s capabilities and preparing for NATO membership, as well as implementing train and equip program for the armed forces;
• Economic, trade and energy cooperation, including reaching an agreement on free trade;
• Strengthening of democracy;
• Deepening people-to-people contacts, including reaching an agreement on visa-free regime;

10. Georgia considers implementation of tasks set in agreements with the United States and the EU, the main strategic partners, first and foremost as a commitment undertaken before its own society;

11. Georgia carries out dialogue with Russia with use of international mechanisms available in the Geneva [International Discussions], as well as in the bilateral framework. The goal of this dialogue is to resolve the conflict, to establish and to development good neighborly relations;

12.  Georgia will contribute to rapprochement of positions of the United States, EU and the Russian Federation, as well as of other states, in South Caucasus in line with the interests of our country and principles of the Helsinki [Final Act];

13. Georgia will foster political dialogue in the Caucasus and economic cooperation for the purpose of concurrence in the basic interests of the states of the region. Relations with the peoples of the North Caucasus will be based on historic experience and traditions of good neighborly, cultural and humanitarian cooperation;
 
14. Deepening bilateral political and economic relations with neighboring Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey are important. Georgia should turn into the platform of implementation of mutually beneficial political and economic relations, as well as business opportunities for these countries.

15. Taking into view beneficial geopolitical location for the trans-national projects, it is one of the priority areas of Georgia’s foreign policy to deepen economic relations with the countries of the Black Sea and Caspian regions and Asia;

16. Georgia will actively cooperate with the Baltic States. Experience and support of these countries is important in respect of European and Euro-Atlantic integration;

17.  Deepening of the economic and political relations with the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, as well as with Scandinavian countries, and their support to Georgia’s ongoing reforms and sovereignty is important for Georgia;

18.  Georgia should not either have diplomatic relations or be in a military, political, customs alliance with a state, which recognizes independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia/former autonomous district of South Ossetia or has Georgia’s territories occupied. Georgia will carry out consistent foreign policy in order to secure unwavering international respect to its territorial integrity and sovereignty;

19.  Pursuant to strengthening national and regional interests, also for the purpose of security irreversibility of development of peace process and ‘non-recognition policy’, Georgia will significantly deepen multilateral diplomatic relations in frames of UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, European Commission, GUAM, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.