Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-12-18-Speech-4-169"
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"en.20031218.7.4-169"2
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"Mr President, due to the dramatic developments in Georgia in recent weeks and the imminent presidential elections on 4 January, six groups in the European Parliament have tabled a motion for this urgent debate.
With their peaceful and thankfully bloodless revolution, the Georgian people have gained a hearing and all our respect. That is convincing evidence that despite their grave economic plight, the people of Georgia are yearning for democracy. There is now a chance for a new beginning. Properly conducted elections are a prerequisite for stability and development in Georgia. A great deal of time has been wasted since the transforming events of twelve years ago. Surprisingly, Georgia’s state coffers are almost empty. Georgia has received financial assistance not only from the European Union but from many other parts of the world, but its people have gone away empty-handed. The Georgian people have high expectations of their new President. He must create a democratic order but also provide for the people’s basic needs.
I would like to thank the European Parliament for making it possible for our special delegation to travel to the elections. In this way, we are also showing that in the European Parliament, we take the task of supporting peaceful development in Georgia very seriously. At the Brussels Summit, the European Union’s Heads of State or Government have just reaffirmed, yet again, the Union’s determination to build a balanced and reciprocal strategic partnership with Russia, based on the values of the rule of law, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms and a free market economy.
The national governments and the European Parliament, however, must accept that this kind of strategic partnership is only possible with states that honour their pledges. Russia has failed to fulfil the international commitments it made to Georgia in Istanbul in 1999 and by adopting this position, it has greatly obstructed democratic development in an already fragile region in the past. I can only hope that Russia will in future support constructive negotiations in all parts of Georgia, as agreed in the OSCE accords in 1999, and will not further impede democratic development.
Russia plays a key role in Georgia and the entire Southern Caucasus. We in the European Parliament must address this issue when we deliberate our relations with Russia. However, our task now is to help Georgia overcome its crisis."@en1
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