'No to occupation and de facto annexation': Anti-annexation platform launched in Georgia
Anti-annexation platform launched in Georgia
A new public association, the Anti-Annexation Platform, has been established in Georgia.
Its founders say the group will be non-partisan and apolitical, with its main goal being to oppose Russia‘s occupation and de facto annexation of Georgian territories through legal and peaceful means.
At the platform’s launch at the Tbilisi Marriott hotel, a declaration entitled “No to occupation and de facto annexation – yes to justice, peace and Georgia’s territorial integrity” was adopted.
According to the declaration, the platform brings together Georgian citizens who regard the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, the principles of international law, freedom and human dignity as core values.
The founders say that Russia’s occupation in any form, the de facto annexation of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, support for separatism and forced demographic changes in the occupied territories constitute violations of international law and fundamental human rights.
The declaration also states that the organisation is ready to cooperate with members of any political party, regardless of their political affiliation.
Among the platform’s main objectives are supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and promoting a legal assessment of Russia’s continuing occupation and de facto annexation.
The group plans to work to protect the rights of internally displaced people and refugees from the occupied territories, prepare legal research and analytical papers, and raise public awareness of developments in the occupied regions.
The platform also intends to cooperate with international partners, think tanks and diplomatic missions. Its activities will include organising conferences, discussions and educational events, as well as helping to protect the rights of people affected by the occupation and de facto annexation.
The platform supports targeted international sanctions against the leaders of the de facto regimes in the occupied regions and individuals involved in the annexation process. The declaration also calls for efforts to initiate international criminal proceedings.
The document stresses that the group’s activities will not be limited to the political agenda.
“We believe that the struggle against occupation and de facto annexation by the Russian Federation is not only a political issue. It is a struggle for justice, human dignity, historical truth and the security of future generations,” the declaration says.
According to its founders, the platform is based on the peaceful and legal resolution of conflicts, respect for international law and the protection of human rights.
“Russia’s de facto or de jure annexation will never become a legal reality, and borders changed by force will never acquire moral or legal legitimacy,” the declaration says.
The declaration was signed by the founders of the Anti-Annexation Platform:
- Vladimer Chachibaia — former deputy chief of the Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces;
- Nodar Kharshiladze — former Georgian deputy defence and interior minister and co-founder of the Georgian Strategic Analysis Centre (GSAC);
- Akia Barbakadze — reserve colonel and former deputy secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council;
- Kakha Gogidze — director;
- Paata Davitaia — chairman of the European Democrats of Georgia party;
- Nikoloz Vashakidze — former deputy secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council and former first deputy foreign and defence minister;
- Mamuka Gamkrelidze — former Georgian ambassador to China;
- Giorgi Melashvili — director of the Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI);
- Irakli Tabliashvili — journalist.
