“We continue to be unwavering in our support of your sovereignty and territorial integrity. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are integral parts of Georgia. We continue to call on Russia to adhere to its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement,” said UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at the joint briefing with Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili.

The Foreign Secretary thanked Ilia Darchiashvili for a warm welcome.

“Georgia has long been an important and valued strategic partner to the United Kingdom. Our countries have built on strong ties in the last 30 years since we re-established diplomatic relations drawing on a much longer period of bilateral cooperation and our long historical connections.

I remember then the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, when she visited your country in 1987 for it was before the fall of the Soviet Union. And your desire for freedom and self-determination was strong and evident even at that point. And it is even stronger today.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and total disregard for international law and territorial integrity, and national sovereignty will not be a shock to you. Russia’s military incursion in Georgia in 2008 and Russia’s continued illegal presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia have inflicted deep human suffering. It divides the country, divides the families, and restricts access to ancestor lands and sacred religious sites.

We continue to be unwavering in our support of your sovereignty and territorial integrity. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are integral parts of Georgia. We continue to call on Russia to adhere to its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement,” he said.