The European Parliament adopted by 538 votes to 31 with 22 abstentions a resolution on Georgia.

The resolution had been tabled by the PES, ALDE, Greens/ALE, UEN, and EPP-ED groups.

Deploring the recent outbreaks of violence in the region of South Ossetia and the escalation of violence which have led to deaths, injury and serious material damage, Parliament expresses its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia . It draws attention to the need to arrive at a solution for the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia through negotiations and confidence-building, exclusively by peaceful means, respecting the right of the peoples of Georgia to determine their own cultural, social, economic and political aims. Members do request the Georgian Government to define its commitment towards the autonomy of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which appears to be a precondition for achieving a peaceful solution of conflicts and national unification based on consent. Parliament insists that full demilitarisation of the South Ossetian conflict zone, with the exception of the OSCE's Joint Peace-Keeping Force, is a precondition for a lasting peaceful solution of the conflict in this region. It asks the Council to give its support to a further enhancement of the effectiveness of the OSCE mission in this region.

The resolution rejects the 'presidential elections' which took place in Abkhazia on 3 October 2004 as illegitimate in the absence of an agreement on the final status of Abkhazia. It notes that these elections were based on an electorate of 115 000 persons, whereas more than 300 000 Georgians had previously been disenfranchised through expulsion from their homes in the region. Parliament calls on the Commission and Council to give their support to an intensification of the UN-led negotiation process in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.

On the role of the Russian Federation , Parliament deplores the recent statements of the Russian authorities about the use of pre-emptive strikes in the South Caucasus as part of Russia's security doctrine and stressing the indispensable role Russia should play in the solution of the existing conflicts. It urges the Russian Federation to respect its commitments given at the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit on the reduction and withdrawal of Russian military forces from Georgia and supports Georgia's commitment as expressed by President Saakashvili at the UN that foreign troops would not move in once the Russian military withdrew. Members call on the Council and Commission to involve fully the Russian Federation in this process of securing stability through political negotiations and calls on the Russian Federation to refrain from any action which might endanger this process. The Council and Commission are to include the issue of Georgia's territorial integrity in the agenda for the dialogue with Russia within the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Parliament wants active EU involvement in the development of a series of initiatives to break the deadlocks in the region. It welcomes, in this respect, the agreement reached on a future meeting between the Prime Minister of Georgia, Zurab Zhvania, and the separatist leader of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoiti, and calls on the Council to follow developments closely, making every effort to facilitate dialogue and prevent the tense situation from escalating.

Lastly, Parliament calls on the European Union and the Presidency-in-Office to provide the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus with all necessary resources to make his action effective and visible and to take further decisive action to secure the EU's policy goals in the region, including a willingness to mediate in the conflicts.

The European Parliament adopted by 538 votes to 31 with 22 abstentions a resolution on Georgia.

The resolution had been tabled by the PES, ALDE, Greens/ALE, UEN, and EPP-ED groups.

Deploring the recent outbreaks of violence in the region of South Ossetia and the escalation of violence which have led to deaths, injury and serious material damage, Parliament expresses its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia . It draws attention to the need to arrive at a solution for the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia through negotiations and confidence-building, exclusively by peaceful means, respecting the right of the peoples of Georgia to determine their own cultural, social, economic and political aims. Members do request the Georgian Government to define its commitment towards the autonomy of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which appears to be a precondition for achieving a peaceful solution of conflicts and national unification based on consent. Parliament insists that full demilitarisation of the South Ossetian conflict zone, with the exception of the OSCE's Joint Peace-Keeping Force, is a precondition for a lasting peaceful solution of the conflict in this region. It asks the Council to give its support to a further enhancement of the effectiveness of the OSCE mission in this region.

The resolution rejects the 'presidential elections' which took place in Abkhazia on 3 October 2004 as illegitimate in the absence of an agreement on the final status of Abkhazia. It notes that these elections were based on an electorate of 115 000 persons, whereas more than 300 000 Georgians had previously been disenfranchised through expulsion from their homes in the region. Parliament calls on the Commission and Council to give their support to an intensification of the UN-led negotiation process in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.

On the role of the Russian Federation , Parliament deplores the recent statements of the Russian authorities about the use of pre-emptive strikes in the South Caucasus as part of Russia's security doctrine and stressing the indispensable role Russia should play in the solution of the existing conflicts. It urges the Russian Federation to respect its commitments given at the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit on the reduction and withdrawal of Russian military forces from Georgia and supports Georgia's commitment as expressed by President Saakashvili at the UN that foreign troops would not move in once the Russian military withdrew. Members call on the Council and Commission to involve fully the Russian Federation in this process of securing stability through political negotiations and calls on the Russian Federation to refrain from any action which might endanger this process. The Council and Commission are to include the issue of Georgia's territorial integrity in the agenda for the dialogue with Russia within the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Parliament wants active EU involvement in the development of a series of initiatives to break the deadlocks in the region. It welcomes, in this respect, the agreement reached on a future meeting between the Prime Minister of Georgia, Zurab Zhvania, and the separatist leader of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoiti, and calls on the Council to follow developments closely, making every effort to facilitate dialogue and prevent the tense situation from escalating.

Lastly, Parliament calls on the European Union and the Presidency-in-Office to provide the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus with all necessary resources to make his action effective and visible and to take further decisive action to secure the EU's policy goals in the region, including a willingness to mediate in the conflicts.