Full implementation of the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement by Russia, which is a cornerstone for the peaceful conflict resolution in Georgia – Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze said after the meeting with his Moldavian counterpart Pavel Filip.

According to Prime Minister, besides common interests, Georgia and Moldova are facing similar challenges, and both countries need strong and unequivocal support for their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“During the meeting, we discussed Russia’s illegal and provocative steps towards the occupied regions of Georgia. 20% of our territory remains occupied by the Russian Federation, and the state of affairs on the ground can only be assessed as a humanitarian disaster. We also discussed peace initiatives of the Georgian Government, which seek ways to stop this humanitarian disaster in our occupied territories and to provide our citizens with new opportunities.

Recently, we encountered the most tragic events. One of them was the torture and tragic death of our citizen, Archil Tatunashvili. This tragic event reaffirms the need of establishing international security mechanisms on the ground and access of human rights monitors to the occupied regions as well as the necessity of full implementation of the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement by Russia, which is a cornerstone for the peaceful conflict resolution in Georgia. Georgia will continue mobilization of the international community to this end and, at the same time, to make sure that those committing these dreadful crimes will be held responsible by international law.

We have a responsibility, and we are committed to peace and Georgia’s development. Our efforts will only prove to be effective in combination with the international support. In this context, the recent UN General Assembly was especially important, during which we had yet another opportunity to address the international community and provide everyone with the real picture of what is happening in the occupied territories,” Bakhtadze said.