Brussels, 03/08/2009 (Agence Europe) - Almost a year after the conflict between Georgia and the separatist regions of Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia, stability in the area remains tenuous. Since August 2008, new developments, such as the conflict between the Georgian government and the opposition, have exacerbated the initial crisis and increased the danger of destabilising the country. This is the analysis according to the European Commission, which has decided to respond to this “crisis situation” by granting an exceptional assistance measure. In a Commission decision adopted by accelerated procedure on 22 July, the latter states, “the stability of the political system in Georgia is challenged, the renewed outbreak of hostilities remains a distinct possibility and peaceful settlement of the disputes between Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia is now a very distant prospect at best”.
This aid of €14 million is covered by the stability instrument and will help to fund an 18 month action programme in four different fields: confidence building, people-to-people contacts in Georgia, including in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in order to help provide the ground for a long-term solution to the conflict; political reform in Georgia, in order to mitigate the conflict between opposition and government in Georgia; the socio-economic integration of IDPs and provide assistance in Abkhazia, in particular to civil society capacity building and support to returnees in Gali district.
Twenty-three contactors have already been selected to implement different specific projects. With this exceptional assistance, the total amount of funds granted to Georgia since the beginning of the conflict, as part of the stability instrument, now stands at €29 million. An initial post-crisis programme was launched in October 2008 whose main goal seeks to tackle the immediate needs of displaced persons. (A.B./trans/rh)