Maka Botchorishvili, Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliamentary European Integration Committee participated in the 22nd Autumn Meeting of the OSCE PA in Dublin, Ireland.

Addressing the Debates on Conflicts and Security Issues held within the framework of the autumn meeting, Maka Botchorishvili highlighted the Georgian government’s peace policy in restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity.

“Georgia is the OSCE participating state that has been experiencing the consequences of neglecting international norms for decades. Conflict, violation of territorial integrity, occupation of two regions of Georgia by Russia and its illegal military presence there, these are the challenges that my country has been facing for more than 3 decades now. The declared policy of the Georgian government is the pursuit of peaceful ways of conflict resolution and restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity by peaceful means. All key international actors are involved in this process, but it remains very difficult to speak about the success of the Geneva International Discussions so far.

As a result of the 10-year efforts of the Georgian government, today we are also substantiated by decisions of international courts, and thus, we can fight not only with political but also with legal arguments for a peaceful conflict resolution,” she said.

Maka Botchorishvili spoke about the upcoming parliamentary elections, facing challenges for the country’s development and stressed the significance of peace and stability in the “complex geopolitical environment.”

“Dear Colleagues, Even a glance at the map is sufficient to realize the complex environment within which we strive to ensure a stable path of democratic development for the country and maintain peace. During recent years, Georgia has repeatedly faced the threat of destabilization, which makes the security of the country even more vulnerable. We have also seen some campaigns of international scale, which mostly are devoid of objective foundations, but harm the reputation of the country. Important Parliamentary elections are ahead of us. It is in the interest of the government that elections are held in compliance with the law and international standards, not allowing anyone to undermine elections and raise doubts about the choice of Georgians as already happened in the past.

At the invitation of Georgian authorities, you will have the possibility to observe elections and make objective conclusions. Your mission is far more than observation of elections. Today, preserving stability and peace in Georgia is necessary not only for us but for the security of the entire region,” she said.