Georgian Majority Leader: Peaceful De-Occupation Must Rely on Diplomacy and People-to-People Engagement

Georgia’s parliamentary majority leader Irakli Kirtskhalia has said the country’s Russian-occupied territories can only be de-occupied through peaceful and diplomatic means, stressing that people-to-people diplomacy is a key component of that approach.

Speaking on Imedi LIVE, Kirtskhalia said restoring relations with Abkhazians and Ossetians should remain at the heart of Georgia’s policy towards the occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“This is based on a very simple but extremely important principle: we must restore our relationship with our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers and sisters. De-occupation must be achieved exclusively through peaceful and diplomatic means. And when we speak about diplomacy, one of its central components is people-to-people diplomacy,” Kirtskhalia said.

He added that he had emphasised the same approach in his address at the opening of Parliament’s plenary session, describing it as the government’s vision for the peaceful restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

“In my speech at the opening of the plenary session, I highlighted precisely this policy and once again reminded the agents and their patrons what our policy is and where the Georgian people stand when it comes to our occupied territories. I spoke about how we envision the de-occupation of our country, what peaceful de-occupation means, and what it means to restore relations and rebuild ties with our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers and sisters,” Kirtskhalia said.