Brussels, 06/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Georgia has sent a minister to Brussels to plead its cause, on 6 and 7 May, and to call for concrete assistance from member states and communities. “Greater engagement of the EU is needed, not only humanitarian but also political”, said State Minister of Reintegration Temour Yakobachvili speaking to the press on Tuesday. “Georgia is a test case, Russia is testing how far they can go. Whatever happens in Georgia will have implications for the whole region, especially in Ukraine and the Balkans”. Georgia feels threatened by the deployment of new Russian troops in Abkhazia over past weeks.
On Monday 5 May, the minister met about twenty ambassadors from member states in Brussels, as well as several representatives from the institutions in order to “elaborate all possible options” with the “decision-crafters”. In concrete terms, the minister called for EU observers, or even a police force, for the region. He also called for businesses operating in Abkhazia without express permission from Tbilissi to be subject to EU restrictions. He recommended less European visa facilitation for Russian nationals. This is a lot to ask, especially given the strategic partnership that the EU and Russia hope to negotiate in the near future. However, Mr Yakobashvili stresses that “what is happening in Georgia will have an impact on various EU policies - energy, neighbourhood and others”. He did not say whether his requests have found favour with Europeans but stressed that they found “common ground and common attitudes” during discussions. The minister is also planning to make a visit to the OSCE in Vienna this week and to go to Moscow. (C.D.)