Georgian Dream MP Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, stated that Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, which make up 20% of Georgia’s territory, continue to be under illegal Russian occupation.
Speaking at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague, the politician highlighted the issue of occupation and condemned the so-called “Agreement on Deepening Alliance Cooperation” between Moscow and Tskhinvali.
“I want to draw attention to recent developments that further complicate the situation on the ground. I condemn in the strongest terms the so-called agreement between Russia and so-called South Ossetia on deepening alliance cooperation. This document is a gross violation of international law and demonstrates yet another desperate attempt by Russia to strengthen its occupation and achieve the de facto annexation of Georgian regions recognized by the international community as part of its territory,” Samkharadze stated.
The MP emphasized that any agreements or treaties concluded by the self-proclaimed authorities of the occupied territories have no legal force.
“I want to remind the international community, including the Russian Federation, that any so-called agreement or treaty signed by the self-proclaimed authorities of the occupied territories is void from the outset,” Samkharadze noted.
