Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to support the territorial integrity of Georgia.
114TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 23, 2016
Mr. POE of Texas (for himself and Mr. CONNOLLY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to support the territorial integrity of Georgia.
Whereas since 1993, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia have been reaffirmed by the international community in all United Nations Security Council resolu- tions on Georgia;
Whereas the Government of Georgia has pursued a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Russia over Georgia’s terri- tories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia;
Whereas principle IV of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 states that, ‘‘The participating States will respect the territorial integrity of each of the participating States. Accordingly, they will refrain from any action inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations against the territorial integrity, political independ- ence or the unity of any participating State, and in par- ticular from any such action constituting a threat or use of force . . . and participating States will likewise refrain from making each other’s territory the object of military occupation.’’;
Whereas the Charter of the United Nations states that, ‘‘All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial in- tegrity or political independence of any state.’’;
Whereas the recognition by the Government of the Russian Federation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia on August 26, 2008, was in violation of the sov- ereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and contra- dicting principles of Helsinki Final Act of 1975, the Charter of the United Nations as well as the August 12, 2008, Ceasefire Agreement;
Whereas the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, signed on January 9, 2009, underscores that ‘‘support for each other’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders constitutes the foundation of our bilateral relations.’’;
Whereas according to the Government of Georgia’s ‘‘State Strategy on Occupied Territories’’, the Government of Georgia has committed itself to a policy of peaceful en- gagement, the protection of economic and human rights, freedom of movement, and the preservation of cultural heritage, language, and identity for the people of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia;
Whereas the August 2008 war between the Russian Federation and Georgia resulted in civilian and military casualties, the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integ- rity of Georgia, and large numbers of internally displaced persons;
Whereas the annual United Nations General Assembly Reso- lution on the ‘‘Status of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali re- gion/South Ossetia, Georgia’’, recognizes the right of re- turn of all internally displaced persons and refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, as well as their property rights, remains unfulfilled;
Whereas the Russian Federation is building barbed wire fences and installing, so-called ‘‘border signs’’ and other artificial barriers along the occupation line and depriving the people residing within the occupied regions and in the adjacent areas of their fundamental rights and freedoms, including, but not limited to the freedom of movement, family life, education in their native language, and other civil and economic rights;
Whereas the August 12, 2008, Ceasefire Agreement, agreed to by the Governments of the Russian Federation and Georgia—
(1) provides that all troops of the Russian Federa- tion shall be withdrawn to pre-war positions;
(2) provides that free access shall be granted to or- ganizations providing humanitarian assistance in regions affected by the violence in August 2008; and
(3) launched the Geneva International Discussions between Georgia and the Russian Federation;
Whereas, on November 23, 2010, Georgian President Saakashvili declared before the European Parliament that ‘‘Georgia will never use force to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty.’’;
Whereas, on March 7, 2013, the bipartisan Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia on Basic Directions of Georgia’s Foreign Policy confirmed ‘‘Georgia’s commitment for the non-use of force, pledged by the President of Georgia in his address to the international community from the Eu- ropean Parliament in Strasburg on November 23, 2010.’’;
Whereas, on June 27, 2014, in the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, Georgia re- affirmed its commitment ‘‘to restore its territorial integ- rity in pursuit of a peaceful and lasting conflict resolu- tion, of pursuing the full implementation of’’ the August 12, 2008, ceasefire agreement;
Whereas despite the unilateral legally binding commitment to the non-use of force pledged by the Georgian Govern- ment, the Russian Federation still refuses to reciprocate with its own legally binding non-use of force pledge;
Whereas the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) is still denied access to the occupied regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, despite the fact that its mandate covers the whole territory of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to enhance its military bases illegally stationed in occupied regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia with- out the consent of the Government of Georgia or a man- date from the United Nations or other multilateral orga- nizations;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues the process of ag- gression carried out against Georgia since the early
1990s and occupation of Georgia’s territories following the August 2008 Russia-Georgia War;
Whereas the Russian Federation’s policy vis-`a-vis Georgia and the alarming developments in the region illustrate that Moscow does not accept the independent choice of sovereign states and strives for the restoration of zones of influence in the region, including through the use of force, occupation, factual annexation, and other aggres- sive acts; and
Whereas the United States applied the doctrine of non-rec- ognition in 1940 to the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and every Presidential administration of the United States honored this doctrine until independence was restored to those countries in 1991: Now, therefore, be it
1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
2 (1) supports the policy, popularly known as the
3 ‘‘Stimson Doctrine’’, of the United States to not rec-
4 ognize territorial changes effected by force, and af-
5 firms that this policy should continue to guide the
6 foreign policy of the United States;
7 (2) condemns the military intervention and oc-
8 cupation of Georgia by the Russian Federation and
9 its continuous illegal activities along the occupation
10 line in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South
11 Ossetia;
12 (3) calls upon the Russian Federation to with-
13 draw its recognition of Georgia’s territories of
1 Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia as
2 independent countries, to refrain from acts and poli-
3 cies that undermine the sovereignty and territorial
4 integrity of Georgia, and to take steps to fulfill all
5 the terms and conditions of the August 12, 2008,
6 Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and the Rus-
7 sian Federation;
8 (4) stresses the necessity of progress on core
9 issues within the Geneva International Discussions,
10 including a legally binding pledge from Russia on
11 the non-use of force, the establishment of inter-
12 national security arrangements in the occupied re-
13 gions of Georgia, and the safe and dignified return
14 of internally displaced persons and refugees to the
15 places of their origin;
16 (5) urges the United States Government to de-
17 clare unequivocally that the United States will not
18 recognize the de jure or de facto sovereignty of the
19 Russian Federation over any part of Georgia, its air-
20 space, or its territorial waters, including Abkhazia
21 and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia under any
22 circumstances;
23 (6) urges the United States Administration to
24 deepen cooperation with Georgia in all areas of the
25 United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partner-
1 ship, including Georgia’s advancement towards
2 Euro-Atlantic integration;
3 (7) urges the United States Administration to
4 place emphasis on enhancing Georgia’s security
5 through joint military trainings and providing self-
6 defensive capabilities in order to enhance Georgia’s
7 independent statehood and national sovereignty; and
8 (8) affirms that a free, united, democratic, and
9 sovereign Georgia is in the long-term interest of the
10 United States as it promotes peace and stability in
11 the region.
