I. Introduction
1. Last year a delegation from the Assembly visited Georgia in order to take stock of the situation.
The Chairman of the Political Committee, Pedro Agramunt, then prepared a report on Georgia’s questfor integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures3 which was discussed at the Assembly’s December2007 plenary session.
2. As explained in the report, it was unambiguously clear from meetings at the highest level withthe authorities in the country that Georgia’s highest priority remained the reinstatement of its territorialintegrity, an issue on which both government and opposition parties were in full agreement.
3. The report also drew attention to the fact that Georgia’s relations with Russia were in a verypoor state: the consequence, according to the Georgian authorities, of Russia’s attitude and its secretdesire to bring Georgia back under the full sway of its influence.
4. Georgia looked for unfailing support both to the EU and its member states and to the UnitedStates and regarded integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures as the highest priority on its foreignpolicy agenda. It had as its aim early membership of NATO, to be followed later by full integrationinto the EU.
5. The report noted that in 2007 the country’s defence budget had tripled as compared to 2006 andrepresented over 26% of overall state expenditure. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,on a visit to Georgia in October 2007, referred to the need for greater transparency on the part of the country’s political establishment about national defence spending as against other priorities likepoverty reduction and education, rule of law and continued progress in ensuring the independence ofthe judiciary.
6. With regard to the secessionist conflicts, he made it clear that there was no alternative to apeaceful settlement, an opinion shared by our own Assembly in its recommendation.4
7. Elections held in January and May 2008 respectively have since confirmed President Saakashvili and his ruling party as the country’s leaders and NATO has postponed a decision to grantGeorgia a Membership Action Plan, while holding out the prospect of future membership.
8. In early August, Georgia and Russia fought a short but violent war, resulting in self-declared independence for both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Russia recognised. President NicolasSarkozy of France, as the current holder of the EU Presidency, brokered a cease-fire which also envisaged negotiations between the different parties involved in the conflict.
9. For a number of reasons, the South Caucasus and the neighbouring Caspian region are geostrategically important regions and the consequences of the brief war in Georgia will reverberate through international politics for some time to come – with implications for relations between the EU and Russia, the United States and Russia, the EU’s external relations, neighbourhood and enlargement policies and energy strategy and, finally, for NATO, its possible enlargement and its relations with non-members.
10. The present report envisages dealing with these issues, although not necessarily exhaustively, given their virtually infinite number of ramifications and interrelated problems.
11. Finally, your Rapporteurs would like to pay tribute to our colleague, Mr Robert Walter, who has been kind enough to accept involvement in the preparation of the report at moments when, due to unforeseen circumstances, they were themselves unable to meet their engagements.
3 Assembly Document 1980.
4 Recommendation 807, adopted by the Assembly on 3 December 2007.
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