Jan Claude Mignon: “Situation With Regard to Abkhazia and South Ossetia Is Unbearable”

“The Situation with regard to Abkhazeti and South Ossetia is unbearable,” the newly elected Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Jean-Claude Mignon told the Russian newspaper "Nezavisimaya Gazeta". Mignon also noted that he had voted for Russia’s accession in the Council of Europe.

"But membership is not enough. Russia should fulfill obligations. Russia has plenty of problems. For example, it has a problem with Georgia. Agreements were signed by Medvedev and Sarkozy and these arrangements should be fulfilled. Unfortunately, the Assembly's two-year mandate is not enough of a solution of all these issues. We will have to choose the most important among them, but their solution will be impossible without aid from the EU. I was recently in Georgia and I have to admit that the situation with regard to Abkhazeti and South Ossetia is unbearable’, said the Chairman of the Assembly.

According to him, he could not enter the occupied regions from Georgian territory, and he could only reach the so-called South Ossetian demarcation line.

"It is not surprising that solutions are hard to see in many situations, as the country is full of refugees, whose homes were destroyed. I think Russia - such a large and influential country – should act for a rapid solution of the problem", said Mignon and noted that the monitoring committee of the Assembly was currently working on the Russia-Georgia issue.

According to the Chairman, at this stage it is impossible to cease monitoring, something repeatedly requested by the Russian side.

"We can get information about what is happening in reality in Russia from just monitors. I think Russia should be more interested in the monitoring", said Mignon.

Jean-Claude Mignon visited Georgia as the head of the French Delegation to the Council of Europe in October of 2011.

Interpresnews