UK condemns Russia-Abkhazia treaty

Ambassador Lyall Grant of the UK Mission to the United Nations (UN) has condemned Russia-Abkhazia treaty which has also been considered in Tbilisi as a step towards the annexation of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia backed by Moscow.

At the United Nations (UN) Security Council’s wrap up session on December 22, Grant said that the signature of an agreement between Russia and the Georgian region of Abkhazia on 24 November reminded them that what they had seen over the past year was part of a pattern of Russia systematically interfering in its neighbours’ domestic affairs and undermining their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The world has to respond when countries so blatantly disregard respect for international borders and norms. And this Council should be the guardian of those norms when it comes to maintaining international peace and security, as set out in the UN Charter,” said Grant at session in his address.

We have seen pattern of #Russia systematically interfering in neighbours' domestic affairs & undermining sovereignty & territorial integrity

— UKUN_NewYork (@UKUN_NewYork) December 22, 2014

In November, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the leader of Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region Raul Khajimba signed a new treaty between Moscow and Sokhumi on ‘Alliance and Strategic Partnership’. Since then Tskhinvali’s (South Ossetia) leader also expressed interest in signing a similar agreement with Russia.

The treaty with Abkhazia has been condemned by Georgia and the international community, but Russian officials rejected accusations that newly signed alliance treaty between Moscow and Sokhumi was a step towards the annexation of Georgia's breakaway regions Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).