§ Mr. McKelveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessments he has made of the policies of the Georgian Government with respect to the principles of good government and human rights; and if he will make a statement on relations between the United Kingdom and the Government of Georgia.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe urge the Governments of all the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Georgia, to respect the principles of good government and human rights in line with their commitment to respect UN and CSCE principles. We are concerned about reports of human rights abuses by both sides involved in the dispute in Abkhazia. I discussed this dispute with the visiting Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Chikvaidze, on 24 May. Relations between the United Kingdom and Georgia are good. We have emphasised the need for the Georgian Government to continue to work with the UN and CSCE in seeking a fair and peaceful solution to the disputes on their territory.