[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 660 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 660

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to support the 
                   territorial integrity of Georgia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    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 resolutions on Georgia;
Whereas the Government of Georgia has pursued a peaceful resolution of the 
        conflict with Russia over Georgia's territories 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 independence 
        or the unity of any participating State, and in particular 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 integrity 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 sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and 
        contradicting 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 engagement, 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 integrity of Georgia, and large numbers of internally 
        displaced persons;
Whereas the annual United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the ``Status of 
        Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the 
        Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia'', recognizes the right of 
        return 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 Federation shall be 
withdrawn to pre-war positions;

    (2) provides that free access shall be granted to organizations 
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 European Parliament in Strasburg on November 23, 2010.'';
Whereas, on June 27, 2014, in the Association Agreement between Georgia and the 
        European Union, Georgia reaffirmed its commitment ``to restore its 
        territorial integrity in pursuit of a peaceful and lasting conflict 
        resolution, 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 Government, 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 without the consent of the Government of Georgia or a 
        mandate from the United Nations or other multilateral organizations;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues the process of aggression 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 aggressive acts; and
Whereas the United States applied the doctrine of non-recognition 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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the policy, popularly known as the ``Stimson 
        Doctrine'', of the United States to not recognize territorial 
        changes effected by force, and affirms that this policy should 
        continue to guide the foreign policy of the United States;
            (2) condemns the military intervention and occupation of 
        Georgia by the Russian Federation and its continuous illegal 
        activities along the occupation line in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali 
        region/South Ossetia;
            (3) calls upon the Russian Federation to withdraw its 
        recognition of Georgia's territories of Abkhazia and the 
        Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia as independent countries, to 
        refrain from acts and policies that undermine the sovereignty 
        and territorial integrity of Georgia, and to take steps to 
        fulfill all the terms and conditions of the August 12, 2008, 
        Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and the Russian Federation;
            (4) stresses the necessity of progress on core issues 
        within the Geneva International Discussions, including a 
        legally binding pledge from Russia on the non-use of force, the 
        establishment of international security arrangements in the 
        occupied regions of Georgia, and the safe and dignified return 
        of internally displaced persons and refugees to the places of 
        their origin;
            (5) urges the United States Government to declare 
        unequivocally that the United States will not recognize the de 
        jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation over any 
        part of Georgia, its airspace, or its territorial waters, 
        including Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia 
        under any circumstances;
            (6) urges the United States Administration to deepen 
        cooperation with Georgia in all areas of the United States-
        Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, including Georgia's 
        advancement towards Euro-Atlantic integration;
            (7) urges the United States Administration to place 
        emphasis on enhancing Georgia's security through joint military 
        trainings and providing self-defensive capabilities in order to 
        enhance Georgia's independent statehood and national 
        sovereignty; and
            (8) affirms that a free, united, democratic, and sovereign 
        Georgia is in the long-term interest of the United States as it 
        promotes peace and stability in the region.
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