On 9 August Mr. Erik Høeg, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), visited Akhaltsikhe in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia. During the visit, Mr. Høeg met with representatives of local authorities as well as with civil society.
Mr. Høeg delivered a public lecture on the EUMM 11 years of continued presence in Georgia followed by a Q&A with participants. In his lecture, the Head of Mission gave an overview of EUMM objectives and activities, highlighting the role of the Mission in promoting stability and confidence building. The Head of Mission stressed the unbiased nature of EUMM reporting based on the principle of impartiality.
Later in the evening, Mr. Høeg gave an interview to TV9 channel. This interview will be aired on TV9s ‘Dialogue’ programme on the 15 August.
Both events were part of an outreach strategy of the EU Monitoring Mission to increase understanding of the mandate and activities throughout Georgia, including in regions with considerable presence of ethnic minorities. The events in Akhaltsikhe coincided with EUMM Georgia launching an Armenian and Azeri language version of its homepage: eumm.eu.
The EUMM mandate defined by EU member states covers the whole of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders. As part of its normal monitoring activities EUMM patrols also regularity visit the Samtskhe-Javakheti region.
The Information Centre on EU and NATO facilitated the organisation of the activities in Akhaltsikhe.
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Head of EUMM Georgia, Mr. Erik Høeg, talks to local media prior to the meeting with local community
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Head of Mission explained the mandate and the unique role of the Mission in maintaining stability and confidence building on the ground
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EUMM visibility material in Georgian and Russian languages, including "The EUMM Monitor" in Armenian, were available to the audience
Mr. Erik Høeg participated in the local TV9 talk-show “Dialogue”