| THE EU AND NATO ARE WATCHING GEORGIA 16/09/2008 |
| (2008-09-16) |
| Last updated: 2008-09-18 16:20 EET |
The EU has greenlighted the observer mission in Georgia, which is to monitor the withdrawal of Russian troops from South Ossetia and Abkhazia to their positions before the conflict, as Moscow had committed to when signing the agreement with the Europeans on September 8th. Scheduled to start by next Monday, the 200-strong mission is mandated for a year, and in its first stage would monitor the areas delimiting the two pro-Russian separatist regions. On long term, the EU intends to monitor the entire Georgian territory. Here is foreign minister Lazar Comanescu talking about Romania’s contribution to the mission:
“The internal procedures for a formal decision on this matter have been initiated. We plan to send a team of 20 monitors, with all the necessary equipment to be able to fulfill their mission. We will be one of the countries that contribute the most. France, if I’m not mistaken, is sending 60, and Italy and Germany around 40, we are sending 20”.
The situation in Georgia is on the central agenda for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as well. Its secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, accompanied by the ambassadors of its 26 member states, went to Tbilisi, where he said that the Alliance is maintaining its position that Russia used disproportionate force in the Georgian intervention last month. Georgia has to continue on the path of reform if it wants to consolidate its relationship with the Alliance, said the official. During that visit, the NATO-Georgia commission was created. Romanian ambassador to NATO, Sorin Ducaru, explains why it was necessary:
“This is the result of a decision made by foreign ministers of NATO countries during the special meeting on August the 19th to discuss the Georgian conflict. The major aims for creating the commission are, firstly, for NATO to support Georgia in overcoming the aftereffects of the conflict in August, and secondly to be an implementation of the decision made by heads of state and government during the summit in Bucharest to intensify the report between NATO and Georgia as part of NATO accession preparations for that country.”
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2025-04-03
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