I want to welcome all of you here!

It is a very important day for us - unprecedented visit, the representatives of five European countries visited Georgia today.

Their visit is connected with the Abkhazian problem and the situation concerning Russian-Georgian recent events.

Our aim is to execute the peace plan, to avoid the conflict, to secure the territorial integrity of Georgia and to return our refugees to their homes.

I am grateful for the statement made by the European Union regarding Georgia, but we also know, that we can't give declarations to the refugees instead of houses and can't dress them in statements instead of clothes.

Our task is to settle this conflict peacefully and to restore Georgia's territorial integrity, actually as it is recognized de jure.

I want to say that recent actions by the Russian Federation are source of concern.

We urge the European Union to formally investigate - although statements have already been made - incident involving incursion of the Russian jet into the Georgian airspace, which conducted military action; we also request the EU to study, investigate and react on illegal movement of Russian peacekeeping forces. We also want a more active involvement of the EU conflict resolution process.

It is absolutely clear that Russian peacekeepers are not legitimate participants of the process.

Russia is a party in the process. Unfortunately, the Russian Federation and its officials are violating international norms of conduct.

I showed a leaflet to our guests about a city of Sochi where the Olympics should take place.

The most part of this leaflet is dedicated to Abkhazia, to a 230-kilometer shoreline of Abkhazia.

This is a clear example of what the plans are. This leaflet was published before recognition of Kosovo independence. It was published before NATO Bucharest Summit. It was published before the recent tensions.

I also want to give our guests a report issued by the U.S. Congress in 1955 on annexation and occupation of Georgia in 1921.

One can clearly see how those events resemble those of today.

At that time the Bolshevik army intruded [into Georgia] under the pretext of assisting as if oppressed minority.

At that time it ended up with Georgia's occupation and annexation. What is now going on is an obvious act of annexation; a prelude to the act of annexation and act of occupation.

At that time Europe left Georgia alone. It even did not speak out.

These reports are published in order to express hope that Europe will never repeat its mistakes.

And I hope it will be so.

Georgia's occupation was followed by an attack on Poland, by occupation of the Baltic States and a bloody war in Finland. Unimaginable strengthening of Stalinist regime also followed it.

I hope that history will not be repeated so tragically.

Today not only Georgia's issue - and especially Abkhazia's issue - is concerned. Today the Europe's future is at stake.

Europe has not faced such a big challenge since the end of the Cold War.

We are disposed to settle the conflict peacefully, we are disposed to have close and friendly cooperation with Russia; we are disposed to have calmness, peace and development in Georgia.

We have a peace plan and we are ready to implement it - this is a very brave, very radical, very flexible peace plan, which thoroughly reflects the interests of ethnic Abkhazians, first of all. This plan is aimed at protecting peace and security in this region.

I want to distribute these leaflets among our friends, it must not happen again.

It is written as though we are reading yesterday's paper, although it is about the events that took place almost a hundred years ago.

I want to express my gratitude to our guests for the solidarity, for this gesture, they came to Georgia when we really needed them.

We hope, that this gesture of solidarity will become a long term politics for EU and the EU will take measures and those companies (I mean Russian companies) that are operating in Europe will not be functioning illegally in Abkhazia. Passports issued in Abkhazia and South Ossetia must not have the same privileges which Russian passports have. EU must make a clear statement that it will never recognize any kind of breakaway of Georgian territory and will never recognize the results of ethnical cleansing.

This type of statements are made today and we really hope, that EU will participate in peace process as the mediator and warrant - in Abkhazia and in Tskhinvali region - South Ossetia.

We are on our way to get close to the EU, a great number of common values with the EU and we hope that an act of solidarity which was expressed by this organization today, will turn in long-term, firm, exact policy, which will help the peaceful resolution of the conflict. The territorial annexation of Georgia and an attempt of occupation will end in Georgia. It will support the process of annulment of illegal steps made by Russia and the confirmation on the Russian side of Georgia's territorial integrity and the inviolability of the borders.

These are the fundamental principles of Europe and we hope that Europe will secure these principles in Georgia like they do on the continent of Europe against terror. I hope that Europe will do it in a much better way than it did in 1921 or in the 30ies of the last century.

I want to express my gratitude to our friends once again!

Press Office
of the President of Georgia