Poland reiterates its support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

Poland's position on Georgia remains the same despite the change of administration, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said at the joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze on Tuesday. Sikorski said that newly elected Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski will maintain “friendly relations” with Georgia. “The foreign policy of Poland is determined by the Government and not only the President. The President is the one who pursues this policy. So I want to tell you that the policy of the Polish Government towards Georgia will not change,” the Minister said.

Sikorski touched upon the issue of Georgia’s breakaway regions, reiterating the support of the Polish Government for the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. “Poland will continue making diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue of Georgia’s territorial integrity,” the Minister noted. He called on Russian officials to meet their commitments under the ceasefire agreement. “I do not think that any of the parties won the war of 2008. There were a lot of accusations and counteraccusations after the war, however Poland recognises the territorial integrity of Georgia, which means that we are not going to recognise the separatist regions as independent states,” Sikorski stated, adding that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are “integral” parts of Georgia.

Poland will continue assisting Georgia in terms of NATO and EU integration, the Polish Foreign Minister told journalists. “Although involvement in the Eastern Partnership Programme does not mean becoming an EU member state, it is very important in terms of integration in European structures,” he noted. “We have repeatedly demanded that the states involved in this programme are given privileges which other states which are not members of the EU do not have,” he noted, adding that the one of these privileges should be a visa free regime with the EU.

Poland is one of the “firmest” partners of Georgia in terms of relations with the EU and the NATO, Georgian Foreign Minister Vashadze said. “Poland was one of the most active forces in stopping Russia’s aggression in 2008. Georgia has made significant progress in terms of development in the last few years and Poland will help Georgia get closer to Europe,” Vashadze noted.

Later the Polish Foreign Minister met the leader of the Parliamentary minority Christian-Democratic Movement Giorgi Targamadze and the leader of the non-Parliamentary opposition Party Our Georgia-Free Democrats Irakli Alasania. “As part of my visit I am holding meetings with the people who in the Government currently or will be in the future. It is very important for me to listen to the views of the Georgian opposition. Poland always supports Georgia’s democratic development.”

The current political situation in Georgia was discussed at the meeting with Sikorski, the CDM’s Giorgi Targamadze said. “We asked the Minister to reintroduce the EU programmes which were undertaken in Georgia during the election period, including the monitoring of TV programmes. This would help develop steady political processes in the country,” he noted. Irakli Alasania said that one of the issues discussed was the strategic partnership between Georgia and Poland and issues of the regional security. “The Polish Foreign Minister said he would implement a new project as part of the Eastern Partnership Programme. It will be aimed at improving the election environment in Georgia,” the leader of Our Georgia-Free Democrats said.