Abkhazia De Facto FM: Georgia Must Repeal Law on Occupied Territories
Abkhazia’s newly appointed de facto foreign minister, Oleg Bartsits, says Georgia must abolish the law on occupied territories and sign an agreement with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali on the non-use of force.
The de facto minister told Russian state-controlled media TASS that the Georgian leadership’s statements about improving relations with Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region and Russia do not pass their attention, but added that “practical confirmations, real steps are needed.” As such, he named the abolition of the law on the occupied territories, saying, “We have to realize what the actual realities are today,” and the signing of a treaty on the non-use of force, which he said would be raised in the next meetings of the Geneva format. “After that, we can talk about something else,” the de facto minister said.
The Georgian law on occupied territories, adopted in 2008, following the Russian-Georgian war and the recognition by Russia of Georgia’s two occupied regions as independent entities, makes it a crime to enter the occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from the Russian side.
Regarding the non-use of force agreement, the official Georgian line has been that it had already committed itself to non-use of force under the August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement and had remained committed to that agreement.
Furthermore, then President Mikheil Saakashvili made a unilateral non-use of force pledge in the European Parliament on November 23, 2010 and letters to this effect were sent to the UN Secretary General, OSCE Secretary General and EU leaders stating clearly that Georgia “commits itself not to use force in order to restore control over our illegally divided country, neither against the occupation forces, nor against their proxies.” The move was hailed by the EU. Abkhaz and Ossetian leaders also issued similar unilateral pledges. Georgia, for its part, had called on Russia to make the non-use of force pledge, which the latter never did.
Bartsits, 57, was appointed de facto foreign minister by Badra Gunba, the new de facto leader of the occupied region.
Also Read:
- 14/04/2025 – Moscow Ready to Restore Diplomatic Relations with Tbilisi, Galuzin Says
- 04/12/2024 – Zakharova: Russia Will Be Ready to Go as Far as Tbilisi is Ready To
- 18/09/2024 – Tskhinvali Says It Expects “Practical Measures” After Ivanishvili Promises Apology to Ossetians
- 28/03/2018 – Non-Use of Force in Geneva Talks – No Can Do
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