TBILISI, 9 June – On 5-9 June, delegates of the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CivCom) visited EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia.
Over the last five days, the CivCom delegates visited the EUMM Headquarters in Tbilisi, where they received briefings from the Mission members. They also met with representatives of the EU family in Georgia as well as with Ambassadors of EU member states.
Furthermore, the delegates visited all three EUMM Field Offices in Mtskheta, Gori and Zugdidi. Together with EUMM monitors, they participated in patrols to Administrative Boundary Lines (ABLs) with Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In Tvaurebi, Khurvaleti and at the Enguri Bridge, they had the opportunity to personally witness the detrimental effect that ‘borderisation’ activities have on the freedom of movement of the local population, and their access to education, healthcare, property, or religious sites.
Following the ABL patrols, Eddy Fonyódi, the Swedish CivCom delegate said:
“I would like to express my appreciation to the EUMM monitors for their commitment to bring stability in Georgia. Thanks to our five-day visit I had the privilege to witness first-hand their work, which is often challenging. While participating in ABL patrols, I also had the unique chance to listen to often heart-breaking stories from the conflict-affected population. These stories will stay with me for a long time. I am glad that EUMM is here to help them come back to a more normal life, as much as it is possible under the current situation,” the Swedish CivCom delegate said.
Throughout their visit, the CivCom delegates also held meetings with representatives of the Georgian government, civil society as well as international organisations.
Upon their return to Brussels, the delegates will apply their newly acquired knowledge and insights about the security situation in Georgia and the Mission’s role in contributing to stability to provide expert advice and recommendations to the relevant EU institutions.
