A group of twelve civil society organizations, united under the Coalition for Euro-Atlantic Georgia, issued a joint statement on March 13, saying Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s March 9 appeal to Moscow was “hardly understandable,” and calling on the Government to be more “concrete” on its plans concerning Russia.

“The message on his readiness to “take other reasonable steps” is also obscure, and it is unclear what the government is trying to achieve through these statements,” the CSOs wrote, adding that the expectations that Moscow would “suddenly change its approach to Georgia” and would pursue a “responsible” policy were “apparently exaggerated.” 

“The Prime Minister’s statement fails to assess the situation adequately, and looks more like a statement of a government that has no concrete plan to counter the challenges of Georgian-Russian relations,” the CSOs wrote, adding that Moscow’s response to PM Kvirikashvili’s proposal was a “testament to it.” “The response was cynical in its essence, and also dangerous: it was not a positive response to the Prime Minister’s cooperation proposal,” the statement reads.

The CSOs stressed the importance of the Geneva International Discussions “for solving the Georgian-Russian conflict peacefully,” also highlighting that the so called Abashidze-Karasin format was “non-transparent.” “At times, questions are raised on its purpose, on issues covered behind the closed doors, and on its results,” the CSOs noted.

The organizations then called on the Government to “inform the society on its concrete vision and plans” concerning Russia, and urged the parliamentary groups to “join efforts” for adopting a resolution that “answers the interests of Georgia,” including through “establishing effective sanctions instruments for addressing the crimes committed by the occupation regime and the structures under its effective control.”