The Georgian Parliament ratified, with a 125-5 vote, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities on October 13. Ratification of this document was part of Georgia’s commitment undertaken while joining the Council of Europe in 1999.

But in a clause made by the parliamentarians to the ratified document Georgia refrained from undertaking a commitment to ensure the conditions which would make it possible to employ minority languages in relations between the representatives of the national minority groups and administrative authorities in areas predominantly populated by national minorities.

The Georgian side also states that it will not be responsible for implementing provisions of the Convention on the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.