Georgia’s President welcomes support expressed towards Georgia at UN Security Council
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Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili has welcomed the support of those countries expressed towards Georgia and its occupied territories at the United Nations (UN) Security Council’s wrap up session on December 22.
Georgian allies including the United State, the United Kingdom and Lithuania has condemned the Russia-Abkhazia treaty which has also been considered by Tbilisi as a step towards the annexation of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia backed by Moscow.
"In a difficult situation, when twenty percent of Georgia’s territory is occupied, hundreds of thousands of citizens have become refugees and internally displaced persons - Georgia has been doing the constructive, peaceful and rational policy. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation has taken steps toward the annexation of a sovereign state, which further deteriorates the region's security environment,” Margvelashvili said in a statement.
President believed it was very important that the members of the UN’s Security Council focused on Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as the consistent policy of the country.
"We strongly believe that the active involvement of the international community should play a vital role to halt the development in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions,” Margvelashvili noted.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Lyall Grant of the UK Mission to the United Nations (UN) said at the session that 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.
However, official Vilnius said that the so called treaty undermined all efforts to find a solution to the conflict based on the principle of Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and constitutes a step towards the annexation of Abkhazia by Russia.
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).
The UN Security Council wrap up session condemned Russia-Abkhazia treaty which has been also considered in Tbilisi as a step towards the annexation of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia backed by Moscow.
Lithuania deeply condemns the deal as Russia is continuing efforts to undermine Georgia’s sovereignty and independence. The Baltic state expressed its firm support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry believes the revised draft treaty on ‘Alliance and Integration’ between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia is a step forward to the annexation of Georgia’s territories.
"We must condemn and stand against of any attempt aimed to legalize the annexation of Georgian territories. All these efforts are the logical continuation of what Russia is doing in other regions, for example in Crimea,” commented Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius.
The Russian President’s aide Vladislav Surkov in charge of overseeing Moscow’s relations with Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) believes the planned treaty between Moscow and Tskhinvali will be signed early 2015.
Georgia’s Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili has left for the United States (US) for her first working visit.
Georgia's Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili met with the Vice-President of United States (US) Joseph Biden as part of her official visit to the US yesterday.