Good evening!

I rarely resort to a live address, without a press conference or a specific event, yet I cannot ignore a truly historic resolution – the Resolution on Georgia that the European Parliament adopted today.

This resolution is extremely important and decisive for us in several aspects: in our great battle for Georgia’s final liberation, final de-occupation, and for a better, democratic, European future of our country.    

The first thing that is of the greatest importance in this resolution: once again, yet this time it is articulated very specifically, unequivocally, that Russia is in an illegal military occupation of the Georgian regions.

The term “occupation” has been used before in the resolutions of the Council of Europe, as well as in one of the resolutions of the European Parliament. This term is being used by The United States Congress, as well as by government officials of the U.S. and various European States, yet Europe’s and the world’s most respected representative elected body has for the first time passed a resolution saying that Russia’s presence in Georgia is an unlawful military occupation.

 No matter how the events develop after today’s resolution– Europe will never recognize Russian occupation as a legal act.

After this, Europe will certainly never recognize the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions and the partitioning of Georgia. This is an unbelievable blow to the evil intentions that they have had. 

This document is our passport that this occupation will absolutely never be legalized through international law. Today, this fact has been recognized as irreversible by the European Parliament.

The second issue, which has been very emotional for us, an important matter and our personal fight throughout these years, is that we were expelled from Abkhazia in the 90s.

Hundreds of thousands of people, representatives of every ethnicity residing in Georgia: ethnic Georgians, ethnic Greeks, ethnic Jews, ethnic Ukrainians, ethnic Estonians, many ethnic Abkhaz and Russians, as well as people of other nations had been expelled from their houses just because they were faithful to the idea of Georgia’s independence.   

Back then, I was a student doing my studies in the U.S. and perhaps, my opinion was not decisive at that moment. However, I wrote articles. I remember criticizing the President and the government of Georgia at that time for being incapable of bringing this to the attention of the international community. Particularly so, when the same had been taking place in the Balkan states and Europe had unequivocally qualified it as a war crime and ethnic cleansing.

This had been mentioned indirectly in the OSCE documents, but it was never stated specifically that what happened in Georgia was, in effect, a crime of ethnic cleansing.

The perpetrators of this ethnic cleansing had never been specifically identified.

By way of today’s document, after so many years, the truth has eventually prevailed.

I would like to read what for me personally is very important. I repeat once again, this is a very emotional moment for me.

“Russia continues to occupy the Georgian regions, ethnic cleansing and forcible demographic changes are in violation of the fundamental norms and principles of international law in the territories that are under effective control of the occupying force. Consequently, the occupying force bears responsibility for every human right violation in these areas.”

To put it simply, Russia’s occupant authority is accused of committing a war crime against humanity.

Since the Balkans, no one has been officially accused of committing a similar crime in Europe. Nurnberg was the first and then the international tribunal of Milosevic and then other Balkan war criminals.

After many years, the occupier of Georgian regions has for the first time, been unequivocally accused of committing such a crime. 

I know one thing, that historically occupation has always ended with de-occupation and war criminals have always been convicted.

Today, an unambiguous legal basis has been established for this.  

I am sure that it will not take long for everything to end in a just manner and we will eventually celebrate. 

Similarly, it is very important that this resolution mentions our recent agreement on Russia’s membership into the World Trade Organization.

The Russian authorities will have to change some basic principles for them in order to fulfill their obligations.

Another very important and historic issue is the one that has been endorsed in Strasbourg:

I would like to quote:

“European Parliament recognizes Georgia as a “European State” (nothing is new here and this has been constantly mentioned lately) and underscore the commitment of the European Union towards Georgia – conditions/provisions provided by the Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union to be applicable”.

Once again I would like to clarify what is written in a diplomatic language: This means that the European Parliament, the supreme electoral body, for the first time ever, recognizes Georgian prospects of becoming a full-fledged member of the European Union.

Why did this happen? The explanation is in the resolution. This happened because Georgia‘s performance in terms of reforms is the best among the Eastern Partnership States.

There are many important clauses as well, including one on the terrorist acts that were carried out in the territory of Georgia.

“The European Parliament is concerned about the terrorist attacks in Georgia since last year and calls on Georgia and Russia to cooperate in the investigation of the above-mentioned terrorist attacks”.

The fact that Georgia cooperates is known to everyone. Here, it specifically mentions the responsibility of the Russian side and that they are stubbornly avoiding cooperation.

Many other clauses are equally important for us as well, however, I would like us to comprehend what happened today.

Today, a very significant stage has been crowned, of which we have been working on since the war. It is the first time, since Stalin, that Russia has intervened in a neighboring country but did not manage to completely occupy it entirely, or topple the government.

 This is an unconceivable geopolitical turnover in terms of Russia’s position. Georgian people practically created a miracle by their unity, integrity, firmness, and willingness to resist.

The great courage of our people astonishes the European people and raises their desire to support this small fighting nation.   

This is a natural instinct of every European.

First of all, if we did not have a great desire for freedom then there would not have been either the object or the subject of this support.  

Secondly, this is the result of the fact that in the three years after this war not only did Georgia not annihilate, but instead it has managed to increase its economic indicators.

There is a consolidated society in Georgia. We have implemented very important reforms in Georgia and we are continuing to do so. We are not afraid of the future.

We are extremely confident in the future of our country.

Today’s document creates a legal basis for the inevitable unification of Georgia, so that in this great fight we still continue to develop, eventually liberate ourselves, create a European future and eventually prevail.

The truth is on the side our people, on the side of those committed to freedom and a multiethnic society.  Because of this, there is indeed a very good reason to congratulate those diplomats that were there, as well as the rest of our citizens.

Thank you!