The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic is concerned over the developments in breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not recognise the so-called parliamentary elections held in Abkhazia in March 2017, neither the presidential elections and referendum in Georgia’s region of South Ossetia held in April 2017. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates its support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Within the framework of his working visit to Washington, the Georgian Foreign Minister held a meeting with Congressman Gerry Connolly.
The congressman reaffirmed the support of the U.S. House of  Representatives for Georgia highly appraising the reform and democratization process ongoing in the country. The Minister thanked Congressman Gerry Connolly for his activities as Co-chair of the Georgia Caucus at the U.S. Congress.
The sides paid special attention to the situation in Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. Gerry Connolly condemned Russia’s occupation of the Georgian territories and reaffirmed his strong support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He highly evaluated Georgia’s  Euro-Atlantic integration process and pledged further support for Georgia. Miikheil Janelidze awarded Congressman Connolly with Presidential Order of Merit for his important support for Georgia.

The so-called parliamentary elections are being held in occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia. This act represents yet another attempt of legitimization of consequences of several waves of ethnic cleansing, military invasion, occupation and lasting aggression by Russia against the Georgian statehood. Hence, according to the international law, any so-called elections or referendum in the occupied territories of Georgia are illegal and cannot have any legal effect. The so-called elections take place in the context when the Russian Federation does not comply with its obligations under the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and in parallel with intensified military build-up continues the factual annexation of Georgia’s occupied regions through their integration into Russia’s military, political, economic and social system. At the same time, people displaced from Georgia's occupied territories are deprived of the right to return to the places of their residence whereas the population remaining in these regions suffer ethnic discrimination and gross violations of basic rights and freedoms. Against this background, international security and human rights mechanisms, including representatives of the EU Monitoring Mission are denied access to occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia appeals to the international community to give a due assessment to the illegal so-called parliamentary elections and calls upon the Russian Federation to respect the fundamental norms and principles of international law.

Conducting the so-called elections in the occupied Abkhazia is another attempt to legitimize the occupation regime. This attempt does not have a legal power and cannot have any legal outcomes. Under the current circumstances, when a large part of the Abkhazian population is refugees and internally displaced persons, who are still not allowed to return to their homeland and when the supervisory mechanism in the occupied territory is implemented by the foreign state, the Russian Federation, it is impossible to discuss the populations’ free will of expression. I call on the international community not to allow legitimization of the occupation regime. We once again call on the Russian Federation to fulfill its obligations, imposed under the agreement of August 12, 2008 and to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

The United States is deeply concerned by the decision of de facto Abkhaz authorities to close two controlled crossing points along the administrative boundary line of the occupied territory of Abkhazia in Georgia. These closures will further restrict freedom of movement and damage the livelihoods of local residents. Actions such as these not only impose humanitarian hardships on the local population, they also erode the trust and confidence of the people and undermine the Geneva International Discussions, which are the recognized mechanism for discussing security-related issues and humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected population. The United States calls for these crossing points to be re-opened, allowing children to attend school and residents to move freely to engage in commerce, visit relatives, and obtain necessary medical services. The United States fully supports Georgia’s territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemns the closure of the so-called crossing points by the Russian occupation regime in the villages of Nabakevi and Otobaia, the Abkhazia region. Noteworthy that during the year of 2016 the representatives of the occupation regime closed the so-called crossing points in the villages of Tagiloni and Lekukhona. On 5 March 2017, they abolished two more so-called crossing points along the occupation line. This decision grossly violates fundamental rights to freedom of movement, privacy and family life, access to education and health care for the local population and serves for isolation of the occupied Abkhazia region from the rest of the world. The decrease of number of the so-called crossing points along the occupation line will aggravate already difficult humanitarian situation in Abkhazia region, especially the life of vulnerable groups, such as: elderlies, people in need of medical care or medical evacuation and schoolchildren, which will provoke further destabilization of the situation on the ground. Despite clear-cut appeals by the international community, including the UN, the EU, NATO, the USA, Lithuania and Japan, it seems that the Russian occupation regime in Sokhumi made the decision to continue the destructive policy and to impede the peaceful conflict resolution efforts by the Georgian Government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls upon the Russian Federation to refrain from the provocative actions against Georgia, respect the fundamental principles of international law, as well as commitments taken under the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and reveal responsible approach to prevention of escalation of tensions on the ground. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeals to the international community to duly assess the tendency of closure of so-called crossing points and isolation of the occupied regions, also the so-called referendum to be held on 9 April in the Tskhinvali region, and to take effective measures with regard to Russia’s illegal steps undermining sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

“NATO-Georgia relationship is distinguished with unprecedented dynamics that demonstrates NATO`s unwavering support to Georgia”-Levan Izoria. “The Allies decision to conduct the NATO Military Committee meeting in Georgia for the second time is a vivid example of NATO`s commitment to Georgia`s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, sovereignty and territorial integrity. This visit also gives us the opportunity to evaluate the progress achieved within the practical cooperation with the Alliance. I would underline the projects implemented under the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package” declared Minister at the press-conference. Minister and Chairman of NATO Military Committee General Petr Pavel made statements with media representatives after the meeting in the MoD. Defence Minister thanked the NATO delegation members for their visit to Georgia and accentuated that NATO experts are actively engaged in the ongoing defence reformation. Levan Izoria focused on the significance of closer NATO-Georgia partnership: “we will deepen the cooperation with NATO Military Committee to further streamline existing practical cooperation mechanisms to provide more security to our citizens and to insure sustainable development of our country and its military forces. The ongoing reformation just serves Georgia`s objective to become interoperable with NATO forces. Minister evaluated the NATO MC visit as a historical fact and focused on the dynamics of the relations during last 6 months. “6 months ago we hosted North Atlantic Council in Georgia. In November 2016, we conducted joint NATO-Georgia military exercise. Two weeks ago, we paid a very successful visit in Brussels in the frames of NATO-Georgia Commission. Today, we have the pleasure to host the senior military authority of NATO. We will conduct NATO Week in April and NATO Parliamentary Assembly in May. This cooperation is distinguished with unprecedented dynamics that is a vivid example of NATO`s commitment to Georgia. Thank you for your support”, said Levan Izoria at the press-conference. “NATO supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders and we continue to call on Russia to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia and to withdraw its forces from Georgia. Partnership with any country preferring democratic development to confrontation is important for NATO. Georgia is such a valuable partner for the Alliance. A joint participation in the peacekeeping missions contributed to a closer partnership. The Alliance and Georgia both suffered causalities in these operations. Georgia lost more than 30 military servicemen at the battlefield”, declared Petr Pavel and evaluated Georgia as a reliable and valuable partner of the Alliance. NATO MS Chairman focused on the NATO-Georgia cooperation aspects and outlined Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP). The international experts from NATO 26 member and 42 partner nations are working on 15 projects including on air defence, maritime security, Special Operations Forces and Coastguard. A key component of SNGP is Joint Training and Evaluation Centre. It provides combat training and conducts activities to enhance interoperability between Georgian Forces and forces from NATO countries and partners. It also helps Georgia to develop and modernize its security and defence structures and to come closer to the NATO membership, which is one of the main goals of your country”, declared NATO MS Chairman. NATO high-level military official positively evaluated the reforms ongoing in the MoD of Georgia and pledged support on its path towards NATO integration: “we value the ongoing reformation process which is difficult to implement if considering existing resources, threats and the right messages to be delivered to the population. NATO supports Georgia`s commitment and its Euro-Atlantic membership aspirations.”

As a part of the official visit to the Republic of Belarus, the President of Georgia, H.E. Giorgi Margvelashvili has held a tete-a-tete meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus, H.E. Aleksandr Lukashenko. The meeting was mainly focused on the prospects of further strengthening cooperation in political, trade-economic, and cultural areas. One of the main talking points was the issues of regional security. The parties have also discussed the situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. President Margvelashvili has thanked President Lukashenko for his support of Georgia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and non-recognition policy. According to President Margvelashvili, by signing the so-called Treaty on Alliance and Integration, the Russian Federation has begun annexation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region. If conducted, the announced referendum on integrating Tskhinvali to the Russian Federation will have extremely negative outcomes for the security of Georgia and the entire region. President Margvelashvili has underscored the extreme importance of the international community’s firm position in regard to illegal actions taken by the Russian Federation, in order to avoid annexation of the occupied territories of Georgia. The President of Georgia has expressed concern on the fact that Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region are still inaccessible for the international community and the European Union Monitoring Mission is the only international mechanism on site, which, despite the mandate, is not allowed to enter the occupied territories of Georgia. This further worsens the situation of human rights. The conversation has also touched upon the incident that took place on May 19, 2016 in the village Khurcha. The parties have also discussed the growing dynamics of economic and trade relations between Georgia and the Republic of Belarus and the importance of further strengthening this cooperation. According to President Margvelashvili, Georgian side expresses readiness to share its experience in regard to economic reforms, e-governance, and fight against corruption with Belarusian colleagues. As noted at the meeting, the Republic of Belarus is interested in those opportunities, which Georgia opens up for its partners through the Free Trade Area Agreement (DCFTA) and active cooperation with other regions. The two presidents have also expressed their readiness to strengthen cooperation in the areas of education and innovation. As highlighted at the meeting, opening of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus to Georgia, announced in April, 2015 during President Lukashenko's visit to Georgia, significantly contributes to the further development of bilateral relations between the two countries. The parties have expressed hope that this visit will further strengthen the existing relationship between Georgia and the Republic of Belarus.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) issued a statement on 25 February on the latest developments along the administrative boundary line of Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia. The EU has called for the crossing points to be opened to ensure freedom of movement, including humanitarian crossings. “The announced closure of two crossing points along the administrative boundary line of Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia – Nabakevi-Khurcha and Meore Otobaia-Orsantia – which are used daily by hundreds of commuters, will be detrimental to the freedom of movement of the population, including school children, on both sides of the Administrative Boundary Line. It will likely increase the risk of incidents, especially detentions,” the statement says. According to the statement, this decision could damage “security and improved living conditions for the conflict-affected population” and also “longer-term conflict resolution and overall stability in the region”. The EU continues to follow the situation along the border, in particular through the enhanced presence of its monitoring mission (EUMM), and to support Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Russian occupation forces allegedly destroyed a 19 century church and Polish cemetery in Abkhazia to install a military base. According to reports, the Convention regulates the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflicts. It regulates the conduct of nations during war and military occupation in order to assure the protection of cultural sites, monuments and repositories, including museums, libraries and archives.
The President of Georgia made a comment on this fact and called it”vandalism”.