[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              RUSSIAN OCCUPATION OF THE COUNTRY OF GEORGIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, as Rob departs the Chamber, let me thank 
him for his service and for his family's service. As, obviously, the 
first Republican Member to be able to respond to your comments, let me 
say what most of us always know, that although many of us disagree on 
public policy, no one has ever questioned your commitment, your 
sacrifice, your focus, and your tenacity, and I think I value that more 
than almost anything we do.
  Your words are very important for us and for the American people to 
understand that spirited debate is not bad. It is a part of this 
process. As a former high school teacher in government history, we 
would relish this in our classrooms, to have this type of exchange 
between our students. So thank you for that, and I am just fortunate to 
be here when you made your comments.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, I would like to focus and turn my comments to 
Sochi, Russia. As the world focuses on that area of the world, let me 
talk about what is going on on the southern side of the Caucasus 
mountain range.
  In the country of Georgia, a small country, people have to understand 
that the Russian Federation occupies two provinces of the country of 
Georgia, actually, with military troops: one for a long time, South 
Ossetia, one relatively recently in Abkhazia.
  That kind of changes the understanding of this great show that the 
Russian Federation is putting on with the treatment of their neighbors 
in occupying provinces. That would be like a country occupying one or 
two of our States and occupying one or two of the provinces in Georgia.
  So, Mr. Speaker, it is important to just remind the public of this, 
especially when the world's focus is there. And I want to specifically 
talk about what has happened with the Olympics and the Abkhazia region, 
using Olympic security as an excuse.
  Russia has actively created a so-called buffer zone between Abkhazia 
and Georgia, pushing the cease-fire line established in 2008 7 miles 
further into Georgia territory. So here we have an international peace 
agreement that kind of sets a line allowing the occupation in Georgian 
territory of Russian forces, and then the Russian Federation decides, 
based upon the Olympics, to push that line further into the country of 
Georgia 7 more miles.
  It is a very troubling extension of Russia's earlier efforts to 
enclose South Ossetia, this other province, in a barbed wire enclave. 
And this new incursion of Georgian territory is a violation of 
Georgia's sovereignty as it stands in stark contrast to Russia's many 
commitments under international law.
  According to the cease-fire signed on August 12, 2008, Russian 
military forces were to return to their pre-war positions, yet they 
have now established militarized security perimeters on the Georgian 
side of the administrative border with both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 
This is a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, to 
which Russia is a signatory, and a violation of customary international 
law.
  Russian President Putin claims that he must close borders within the 
internationally recognized territory of Georgia to prevent security 
threats in Sochi. This move is nothing more than a power grab. I will 
continue to support Georgia's sovereignty and urge my colleagues to do 
the same.

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