Martin to tour Georgia with peacekeepers

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will tour war-torn regions of Georgia and South Ossetia when he meets peace observers…

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will tour war-torn regions of Georgia and South Ossetia when he meets peace observers in the region.

Mr Martin said he will go on patrol in the troubled province with four Irish personnel monitoring the ceasefire between the former Soviet state and neighbouring Russia.

The two-day trip will also include a visit to a refugee camp for people displaced by the war outside the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

Mr Martin praised the work of the Irish members of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) who he will meet with tomorrow.

READ MORE

“I would like to pay tribute to their contribution to this valuable work and I am pleased to confirm that Ireland will continue to make personnel available to the mission during 2009,” he said.

The visit also includes a meeting with the Georgian prime minister and foreign minister as well as opposition politicians.

Mr Martin paid tribute to the efforts of the French EU presidency for brokering an agreement which resulted in the withdrawal of Russian troops and an end to fighting in August.

“I urge all parties to the conflict to participate fully in the talks process that is continuing in Geneva under the chairmanship of the EU special representative for the crisis in Georgia, Pierre Morel,” he said.

In addition, Mr Martin will officially open a new centre for European Studies at Ilia Chavchavadze University.

In August, Russian troops entered Georgia to thwart Tbilisi-backed forces trying to regain control of the South Ossetia region from pro-Moscow separatists.

The five-day Russian offensive strained diplomatic relations between Russia and the US to a level not seen since the Cold War era.

PA