The Prime Minister of Georgia during today’s meeting with Toivo Klaar, Co-Chair of the Geneva International Discussions and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia-discussed the latest regional security shifts and challenges.

According to Giorgi Gakharia, the recent changes further intensify the challenges facing the occupied territories, bringing to the fore the importance of coordinating an effective unified vision and policy toward the occupied territories by the Government of Georgia.

The meeting underlined the importance of the recent judgment by the European Court of Human Rights on the 2008 Russo-Georgia war case and the need to employ it in the process of the country"s eventual de-occupation.

The conversation also touched on the security situation in the occupied regions and adjacent territories and the humanitarian issues caused by movement restrictions enforced by Russia"s occupation regime, also emphasizing the necessity to boost Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism meetings and the platform of the Geneva International Discussions, and challenges in this context.

According to the Head of the Government, challenges related to the occupied territories are a national security-level problem, in dealing with which, besides the implementation of a unified, coordinated policy by the Government of Georgia, active steps and direct involvement from the EU and other strategic partners is crucial.

Giorgi Gakharia thanked Toivo Klaar for the EU’s engagement in the process of peaceful conflict-resolution and the objective international monitoring effort carried out by the EU Monitoring Mission in the territories along the occupation lines.