“ECHR ruling proves Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions are Georgia’s integral parts,” Georgian Justice Minister Gocha Lortkipanidze stated during the joint sitting of the four parliamentary committees on Monday.

“Following the hostilities, Russia occupied Georgia’s integral parts – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions – thus, Russia controls these territories.

The Strasbourg court judgment fundamentally changed the legal and political landscape of the conflict settlement in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.

The European Union, the United States, the international community clearly impose legal liability on Russia under the ECHR ruling,” Lortkipanidze added.

In a bid to win the case, Georgia worked out a multicomponent and well-thought-out strategy, Justice Minister noted.

“Our legal strategy focused on occupation, ethnic cleansing, and the return of IDPs,” Lortkipanidze said.

Georgian Justice Minister is presenting a report on Georgia v. Russia (II) case in the parliament.

The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered its judgment in the inter-State case of Georgia v. Russia (II) concerning the August War 2008 on January 21.

The Grand Chamber judgment reads, “the Russian Federation had exercised “effective control” over South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and the “buffer zone” during the period from 12 August to 10 October 2008, the date of the official withdrawal of the Russian troops.”

The Court concluded that “the events occurring after the cessation of hostilities – that is, following the ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008 – had fallen within the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. It found a number of violations of the Convention.”