The Parliament adopted on October 17 with 80 votes a statement, which “condemns” Russia’s “attempt to annex occupied Abkhazia” through its new treaty on “alliance and integration” with Sokhumi.

If signed, the Russian-proposed treaty “will give rise to a new wave of violation of international legal norms, create an additional threat to regional stability, significantly damage the process of normalization of Russian-Georgian relations,” reads the statement.

The statement was proposed by the Georgian Dream ruling coalition, which was not supported by the UNM opposition lawmakers, who were pushing for their draft resolution, which was calling for Georgia’s withdrawal from informal bilateral talks with Russia, carried out by Georgian PM’s special envoy for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. UNM-proposed draft resolution was also calling on the government to revise its “counterproductive” policy towards Moscow. This draft was voted down by the GD ruling majority.

Debates and consequent statement in the Parliament came after President Giorgi Margvelashvili asked lawmakers to react on the Kremlin-proposed draft treaty with Abkhazia. President Margvelashvili said in a written statement on Friday that he would convene the National Security Council session on October 28 “to plan coordinated actions for country’s defense in the worsened military-political conditions.” 

The State Security and Crisis Management Council, which is chaired by PM Irakli Garibashvili, will gathered on the morning of October 18 for an expanded session, which will also include senior lawmakers, to discuss the Georgian government’s “action plan” in case Russia signs “alliance and integration” treaty with Abkhazia.

During the debates in the Parliament on October 17 opposition UNM lawmakers were saying that the government’s policy of appeasement towards Russia does not work and it downgrades issues related to Georgia and its occupied territories on the international stage; they were also criticizing the authorities and GD ruling majority for not pursing assertive policy towards Russia.

GD lawmaker from the Republican Party, Tina Khidasheli, said that “the only tool at our disposal is not how loudly we will speak and insult someone, but to act hand in hand and in unison with the international community.” “The Georgian government should not take even a single step in which we won’t have support of our partners,” she said.

Parliament’s statement also calls on the international community “to intensify its efforts for the protection of international order and legal norms through using all the possible levers.”

It also says that Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration will secure full protection of the Abkhaz people’s interests.