In the framework of that approach, the President of Georgia made a new pledge that Georgia would seek the reunification and de-occupation of the country through peaceful means only, without referring to the non-use of force against neither the proxy regimes nor the Russian Federation. This pledge of the President of Georgia constitutes a unilateral declaration of Georgia under international law. Letters with respective content will be sent to the heads of the International organizations in the nearest days.

It is noteworthy that that Georgia has always been faithful to the principle of non-use of force and was constantly reaffirming that the August 12 Cease-Fire Agreement is in vigor, which unanimously implies the non-use of force and non-resumption of armed hostilities. Nevertheless, Georgia has once again committed itself to the non-use of force as a demonstration that the Government of Georgia is ready to make a following constructive step towards the occupying State by engaging itself in the high-level dialogue aimed at resolving the existent problems with the Russian Federation and by continuing participation in the Geneva Discussions with the purpose to achieve security and stability in its occupied regions and ensure safe and dignified return of IDPs and refugees to the places of their origins and residence.

We hope that after the talk made by the President of Georgia in the European Parliament the Moscow will alter its position and from groundless rhetoric about the threat of use of force will switch to the policy of implementing its obligations and viable actions.

On one hand, it is important that Moscow and occupational regimes kept constructively participating in the Geneva Negotiations and in the mechanisms of preventing precedents and in the talks dedicated to reaction made to them. It is lamentable that during the last 13 rounds of the Geneva Discussions it was impossible to achieve any relevant result since Russia and the occupying regimes were not interested in the goals of those negotiations. We hope that in the following rounds the level of engagement of Moscow and its proxy regimes in the Geneva Negotiations will increase so that it will make possible to elaborate new modalities which will pave way to establishment of international security mechanisms and deployment of peace keepers and police forces in the regions.

On the other hand, it is crucial that the Russian Federation and Georgia started high level dialogue for tackling of the existing problems. President of Georgia even before his statement made on the 23rd of November in the European parliament called on the Russian Federation to conduct such dialogue on several occasions using high tribune of the UN as well. The same appeal for dialogue had been articulated for numerous of times by the Georgian diplomats both formally and informally within bilateral and multilateral formats including the venue of Permanent Council of the OSCE. We hope that the hand extended by Georgia will not remain unnoticed and it will be possible to launch a dialogue between two countries on the issues of fundamental importance.

We expect that the Russian Federation will undertake viable and responsive steps and start to implement those international obligations to which it is committed before Presidents of Georgia and France by singing the August 12 Ceasefire Agreement. We hope that both within the framework of the Geneva Negotiations and though dialogues conducted within other formats it will be possible to make the Russian Federation to fulfill its international legal obligations taken under the 12th August Ceasefire Agreement that include: withdrawal of its armed forces from occupied Georgian territories, respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, recognition of internationally established Georgian borders, return of IDPs in safety and dignity, admission of international organizations into Abkhazia and South Ossetia, restoration of freedom of movement across the occupational line, constructive participation in Geneva Negotiations and liberation of illegally detained Georgian citizens.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia will closely watch the reaction of the Russian Federation to the pledges made by President of Georgia and will look forward to the responsive steps at the next rounds of the Geneva Discussions as well as the Astana Summit and among others, including bilateral formats.

State Minister of France for Foreign and European Affairs Michele Alliot Marie and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Margaret Ashton positively assessed the speech of the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili made in the European Parliament on the 23rd of November 2010.

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/cfsp/117997.pdf

https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/editorial/actual/ael2/bulletin.asp?liste=20101124.html#Chapitre2

Tbilisi, November 25, 2010