The Head of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, met the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, on 20 July 2020.
The head of mission congratulated the prime minister on the country’s successful fight against COVID-19 and noted that the work of the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research in this respect has been noted and recognized also by the EU Member States.
The prime minister underlined the importance of the Mission in maintaining stability in the region, as the only international monitoring presence on the ground and expressed his appreciation for the EUMM’s unwavering contributions to stability and cross-ABL confidence building. Prime Minister Gakharia expressed his support for the full implementation of the Mission’s mandate throughout the territory of Georgia.
A range of topics was discussed, including the security situation along the Administrative Boundary Lines, recent detention cases and economic challenges of the conflict-affected population. The head of mission used the opportunity to highlight the importance of the Mission-managed hotline and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism as the tools that contribute to stability and confidence building. He also expressed concern over the prolonged suspension of platforms of dialogue, the Geneva International Discussions and the IPRM meetings in Ergneti and Gali, and stressed the need for their resumption.
The meeting participants exchange greetings
The head of mission used the opportunity to highlight the importance of the Mission-managed hotline and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism
