H.E. Mr. George Zurabashvili:

I extend a warm welcome to the convenor of the Irish-Georgian-Friendship Group, Senator Wilson, and I thank him for being with us. Along with occupation, the Russian Federation continues the illegal process of de factoannexation of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. There are many signed treaties on alliance and integration of the Russia Federation with the illegal regimes in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. A few weeks ago, another extremely dangerous step was taken taken with the recent programme on the creation of common, social and economic space between the Russian Federation and the occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia, which will serve as a drastic turning point in the de factoannexation. On the one hand we are talking about occupation and on the other annexation of those regions. This is happening gradually through different treaties, all of them illegal. At the same time, this is how Russia is acting towards the annexation of both these regions.

I will be brief regarding Georgia's relations with our neighbours. I have already spoken about Russia. We have an excellent relationship with all neighbours, including Azerbijan, Armenia and Turkey. These relations are not just established they are century-old relations. We do have minorities living in Georgia. Georgia is a multiethnic country. There are Azerbijanis and Armenians and so on living there and we have very good relations with all of them.

With regard to the EMM mission on the ground in Georgia, this is the only international mission that exists in Georgia, with the help of the European Union. We are grateful to the Irish Government for its eight observers. It is a non-military mission. Its purpose is observation but it could not fulfil its obligations because Russia has breached the agreement. On the ceasfire agreement, it is a six-point agreement. As we speak, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia is meeting his Russian counterpart in Geneva. The Geneva talks are the only format where we meet the Russian officials in the presence of the United Nations, the European Union and the OSCE and US. This is the 51st round of negotiations. In terms of success, there has been none yet but we are hopeful. We are keeping this pipeline alive because it is important to have dialogue with the Russians. It is not easy to talk with somebody who considers what is his is his and what is yours is his as well. It is difficult.