Georgia to Sign Deal Creating Claims Commission for Ukraine

Georgia is set to sign the convention that creates the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, a step aimed at securing compensation for Ukraine's war damages due to Russian aggression.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced on December 16 that Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili will attend a diplomatic conference in The Hague held under the auspices of the Council of Europe to formally launch the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, alongside European leaders and senior officials, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media.

“The Commission will serve as a body mandated to examine claims for compensation for damage, loss or injury caused by the Russian Federation’s internationally wrongful acts in or against Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022,” the ministry said, noting that Georgia will be among the countries signing the convention setting up the platform.

Officials from Europe, including CoE Secretary General Alain Berset, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, are gathering in the Hague on December 16 to launch the convention.

The Claims Commission is intended to form a central pillar of a broader international compensation mechanism addressing the Russian aggression, building on the existing Register of Damage for Ukraine. The body will operate within the Council of Europe framework while allowing participation by non-member states.

Formal negotiations on the commission were launched earlier this year by the Netherlands and Ukraine with support from the Council of Europe. More than 50 states and the European Union participated in drafting the convention, which remains open for accession by other countries and regional organizations.

“The Council of Europe and partners have been supporting Ukraine in resisting Russia’s full-scale aggression since day one,” CoE Secretary General Alain Berset said ahead of the event. “Working together, we must now be ready to support Ukraine in achieving a just and lasting peace.”