Belgium supports respect of Georgia’s “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity”, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders recalled on Friday in the former Soviet republic, which has particularly tense relations with neighbouring Russia over the latter’s recognition of two breakaway regions. "It’s impossible to accept such a situation,” Reynders stressed following a meeting with his Georgian vis-à-vis, David Zalkaliani, during a visit to Tbilissi. “Whenever we are in Moscow, we place the subject on the table.”
Following the brief war between Russia and Georgia in 2008, the Kremlin recognized the independence of the two pro-Russian enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Moscow also installed military bases with thousands of men in these enclaves, in what the Georgian authorities see as a full-fledged occupation.
Faced with their invading Russian neighbour, Georgia has been trying for years to get closer to the European Union and NATO.
"We are impressed by the reforms undertaken in Georgia in recent years, whether in the area of security, growth or respect for human rights,” Reynders stressed, adding that he felt it was possible to make further progress on the country’s participation in NATO.
It is also possible to work on the basis of a new roadmap proposed by the Georgian authorities with a view to joining the European Union, he said.
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The Brussels Times
