Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome the Georgian delegation today. I believe that the chargé d'affaires and the staff at the Georgian Embassy have a better attendance record at this committee than many of its members. They are extremely active around the Oireachtas and are familiar faces to all of us. Their work record on behalf of Georgia is excellent, and they are to be commended on it.

The similarity between Ireland and Georgia was mentioned. We share a past in that both countries have had difficulties with our largest neighbour. A witness mentioned Ireland's independence but our country is still partitioned and there are still difficulties arising from that. The delegation is aware of Ireland's worries about Brexit. At the moment we have an invisible border, but the worry on the island of Ireland is that we will revert to that militarised situation that we had in the past.

Ms Katsarava spoke about the difficulties Georgia is facing because of what was described as the occupation. The 43rd round of the Geneva international discussions is taking place at present and Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan mentioned that those discussions have been going on for the last ten years. Do the witnesses feel that those discussions are just going through the motions? Do they believe that progress is being made? Russia is in the news at the moment and there have been debates in these Houses about the events in Salisbury. Do those events discourage movement in terms of those discussions?

The importance of visa-free travel was discussed, as was the waiving of requirements for the holders of diplomatic passports. Can the witnesses expand on that? This committee might be able to offer practical help on that issue. If there is anything that the witnesses would like this committee to do they should feel free to articulate it.

The observers in the region - EU monitoring bodies - were mentioned. Going back to the Irish context, in terms of Brexit, we would argue that it is extremely important for those officials in the EU to actually visit the Border region and to see at first hand the day-to-day realities of life there. Do the witnesses believe it is important that international visitors to Georgia should go to see the barbed wire and so on at first hand? Ms Katsarava discussed everyday life in that region and spoke about the death of one of Georgia's citizens there on 23 February. It was mentioned that the killing and torturing of people there is a regular occurrence. Can the witnesses expand on that and perhaps discuss the quality of life of Georgian citizens there? I believe people are being kidnapped and are not able to travel back and forth. What can Ireland, as a small country, do to help? The issue of NATO was mentioned and the witnesses probably are aware that Ireland is a neutral country. Moreover, any surveys that have been carried out suggest that a huge proportion of Irish people feel very strongly that we should remain separate from such alliances. We are a part of the EU but many of us are critical about how the EU has developed. I do not believe that any party in the Irish Parliament would have any objections to Georgia joining the EU but we do have some difficulties with the institution itself and believe that reform is needed. We hope that reform will lead to a greater expansion of the EU.

The decision to join NATO is a matter for the Georgian people. We believe it is a relic of the Cold War and that such relics need to be disbanded. I accept what the witnesses say in terms of Georgia's security but other countries in the region have adopted a different route and have not lost sovereignty or territory.

I wish the delegation well on its visit. If there is anything this committee can do to help please let us know. I wish them well, and I hope that the discussions that are ongoing in Geneva will be successful. I look forward to responses to my questions.