Georgia, Tbilisi, Feb. 11 / Trend N.Kirtskhalia /
The Georgian parliamentary majority has offered a 14-section agreement to factions on Georgia's foreign policy. Committee chairman Tedo Japaridze has already sent the working draft to all factions including the minority. The document is called an 'Agreement of parliamentary factions on Georgia's foreign policy'.
According to the draft the factions approve 14 sections of the agreement:
- Georgia's foreign policy should be based on principle of balance of national interests and international obligations;
- The main goal of public administration is protection of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders;
- The priority of Georgia's foreign policy is integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, accession to the EU and NATO. The successful implementation of this strategic direction depends on the unconditional establishment of democratic values and principles of international law;
- Georgia fully shares its responsibilities in the struggle with the challenges faced by the world. Participation in these international efforts and in particular, military operations should be considered as an essential component of the protection of national interests;
- Strengthening of democratic institutions will contribute to the development of foreign economic relations and increase the inflow of foreign investment and neutralise political tension inside the country and the success of the conflict resolution process;
- Fulfilment of all conditions has to be provided that will allow Georgia to successfully conclude negotiations with the EU on an association agreement, develop cooperation in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership in four key areas: democracy and human rights, economic integration and convergence with EU legislation, environmental protection and energy security and relations between people;
- Georgia's policy should not be aimed at serving as a strategic player in global and regional conflict. Georgia should be politically attractive by its peacekeeping nature;
- Georgia will maintain relationships with the U.S. as a major ally within the Charter on Strategic Partnership;
- It is in the interest of Georgia not to be on the list of controversial issues in the West's relations with Russia. Georgia must be ready to start a dialogue with Russia by using international mechanisms. The goal of the dialogue will be to develop a strategy to gradually overcome the current crisis, de-occupation of the country and protection of sovereignty;
- The development of relations with the people of the North Caucasus will be based on good neighbourliness, experience and traditions of many years of close cultural cooperation which must not be used to intensify confrontation with Russia.
- Georgia must acquire a function of assisting integration, economic cooperation and political negotiations through its balanced regional politics. It is important to intensify economic and political relations with neighbouring Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. Georgia has become a platform of implementing the political, economic, social and business relations for these countries.
- the expansion of economic relations with the Caspian region and Central Asia will be one of the priorities of Georgia's foreign policy in view of the favourable geopolitical location for transnational projects;
- Georgia must significantly intensify multilateral diplomatic relations at the UN, OSCE and other representative organisations of Europe and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation;
- Georgia will fully use the best representatives of all generations of professional diplomats to solve the problems facing the country in the international arena. The academic and expert resources of the country will be used to the maximum. A system of training qualified diplomats will be created.
For its part, the minority has initiated a bill in parliament to amend the point on immutability of the Euro-Atlantic course of the country in the Constitution.
The opposition has already said that the following points are inappropriate. Among these points are - 'it is in the interest of Georgia not to be in the list of controversial issues in the West's relations with Russia. Georgia must be ready to start a dialogue with Russia by using international mechanisms. The goal of the dialogue will be to develop a strategy to gradually overcome the current crisis, de-occupation of the country and protection of sovereignty'.