Lithuanian president on Russian aggression in Georgia in UNGA speech: ‘our duty is to hold the aggressor accountable’

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has condemned the Russian occupation of Georgian territories and the country’s illegal actions in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York yesterday. 

Nauseda stated that the international community is witnessing a ‘worsening human rights and security situation’ in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia which are currently under Russian control. 

Aggressive actions of the occupying forces, such as ‘borderisation’, movement restrictions and illegal detentions, are hindering the lives of the local people. Our duty is to make the aggressor accountable,” Nauseda said. 

Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili, who is scheduled to deliver his speech at the UNGA session on September 24, will raise the issue of the occupation as well. 

Russia recognised Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent states following the Russia-Georgia 2008 war. 

Since then only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria have joined Russia in the recognition, while the rest of the international community call upon the country to leave the Georgian territories. 

The recent judgement of the European Court of Human Rights shifted the whole responsibility onto Russia for human rights violations in the regions, saying that ‘Russia exercises effective control’ of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.