"I've confirmed the will of the Polish government to share vaccines and deliver them to Georgia" - Poland's President Andrzej Duda said after meeting with his Georgian counterpart Salome Zurabishvili in Tbilisi. He also expressed support for Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Geogia. "We are very proud to have such big support in Poland" - Zurabishvili said.
President Andrzej Duda met with his Georgian counterpart on Thursday in Tbilisi during an official visit. At a joint press conference, Poland's head of state commented on his visit to the boundary line between Georgia and Russian-controlled separatist South Ossetia (Tskhinvali Region), where the European Union Monitoring Mission was deployed.
The future of this mission - Duda said - was among the topics of discussion with the President of Georgia. Polish president said that president Zurabishvili had asked him to push for the mission's enhancement, and he reassured her he would discuss the issue with EU leaders and ask Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to raise the argument at the European Council session. "Let's hope we will manage to take action in this regard" - Duda said.
He also reassured that the issue of Georgian borders and the situation in South Ossetia would raised on other international forums, including the United Nations.
"On the territory of Tskhinvali we see evident lawlessness and violation of all rules of international law. This has become a daily occurrence" - Duda said during a joint news statement alongside Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili.
"Therefore representatives of the international community, representatives of the European Union and NATO countries should come and see it with their own eyes to become aware of what's at stake when we say that all efforts must be made to force the Russian Federation to respect international law" - he added.
"I would like to thank Poland for taking part in the European Union Monitoring Mission since the first day. Now they chair the mission" - Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said.
"We also discussed that the mission must have more means so that it will be able to do what was prescribed by the 2008 agreement, that EU monitors will be able to monitor the entire occupied territory. It will be one of the ways to de-escalate the situation" - she added.
President Duda also said Georgia was on its way to EU and NATO. "I hope that this way will become easier for Georgia, in the sense that concrete dates and procedures will be scheduled, so that Georgia could actually join the European Union and the NATO" - he said.
He reminded that Poland once had been in the same stage, and encouraged Georgian people and authorities to keep on the democratic path and be ready for reforms.
He also reassured that Poland has always been and will be "a friend of Georgia and a country which supports Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian nation and state".
In August 2008, during five days of fighting, Russia pushed troops into Georgia in support of its allies in the separatist region of South Ossetia.
Moscow said it acted to protect civilians from Georgian aggression. Georgia and Western nations said it was an unprovoked land grab.
Diplomatic ties between Russia and Georgia collapsed afterwards, and Russia went on to recognize the independence of South Ossetia, where Russian troops are now garrisoned.
Duda came to Georgia with a two-day visit during which he attended Georgia's Independence Day official celebrations. He was also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili later on Thursday.
On Wednesday, President Duda and his wive attended a small ceremony at a monument to former Polish President Lech Kaczyński in Tbilisi.
Duda paid respects to the statue of Kaczyński, who was killed in a plane crash along with his wife Maria Kaczyńska and top Polish military and political officials near the Russian city of Smolensk in 2010.
Children dressed in traditional folk costumes sang the Polish anthem and posed for photos with the Polish presidential couple.
Georgia marked the day of its independence from the Soviet Union on Wednesday (May 26) by hosting a military parade in central Tbilisi.
An official ceremony with Georgian troops marching in a parade held on Tbilisi's Freedom Square was attended by Poland's presidential couple.
Military hardware was put on display during the celebrations.
The celebration dates back to May 26, 1918 when Georgia declared its independence from Russia. In 1922 it was taken over by the Soviet Union and regained its independence again after the USSR's dissolution in 1991.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters