Brussels, 12/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a statement on Thursday 11 March on behalf of the EU, the high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, welcomed the Georgian government's strategy regarding the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. “The EU welcomes the spirit of the initiative as a constructive step towards easing tensions, building confidence and reaching out to the residents of the Abkhaz and South Ossetian regions”, she said. The EU encourages the Georgian government to conduct consultations with all stakeholders regarding the preparation of an action plan on the implementation of the strategy. The EU also welcomes Georgia's intention to elaborate a status-neutral framework for interaction with authorities in control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Adopted by the Georgian government in January this year, the new strategy, for which implementation is to be presented early in the summer, aims among other things to promote economic cooperation and trade relations between the two regions and the rest of Georgia, to open up rail and road links to Sukhumi and Tskhinvali, to allow the nationals of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to move freely in the rest of Georgia, and to have access to schooling and healthcare. The declaration underlines, however, that “a key priority for Georgia” will be to ensure that the relevant legislative and administrative framework, including the law on occupied territories and its implementation, is being brought into line with the opinions presented by the Venice Commission (a Council of Europe commission for democracy by law), which mainly calls for the parliamentary regime in this country to be strengthened. (A.By./transl.jl)