BRUSSELS, November 17. /TASS/. EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said on Monday the EU was concerned by the drafting of agreements on allied relations and integration between Russia and the two young South Caucasian nations, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
As she spoke upon the end of the first session of the EU-Georgia association council, she said the discussions of a far-reaching agreement between Russia and the de facto Abkhazian authorities and similar activities between Russia and the de facto authorities of South Ossetia were causing joint concern in the EU and Georgia.
She claimed that steps of the kind were spearheaded against Georgia’s territorial integrity and did not work towards de-escalation in the region.
In the light of it, Mogherini reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the territorial integrity of Georgia and she said she would make the European concerns known to the Russian leadership.
Russia recognized independence of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia in August 2008. The two young nations had been de facto independent for the more than fifteen years before that.
The EU and the U.S. continue to insist that the countries are still parts of Georgia.
As she spoke to reporters earlier on Monday upon the end of a session of the EU council at the level of foreign ministers, Mogherini said she was going to visit Moscow, since a number of European ministers had asked her to do this.
She said she viewed the request as a sign of European countries’ willingness to step up dialogue with Russia, adding that it had never been suspended.
Mogherini said it was necessary to do scrupulous preparations for the trip to Moscow, as this should not be a visit for the sake of visiting. It was necessary to make several steps towards moving ahead with Ukrainian peace settlement and other dossiers in bilateral relations.