Georgia’s UN representative: Russia continues to violate fundamental rights of children in occupied regions

Gvaram Khandamishvili, the charge d'Affaires of Georgia to the United Nations, on Tuesday delivered a national statement within the UN Security Council’s annual open debate on Children and Armed Conflict, highlighting Russia continued to violate fundamental rights of the conflict-affected children in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia.

Khandamishvili stressed the “critical importance” of upholding international law and adhering to the joint international endeavours and initiatives, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol, as well as the Safe Schools Declaration and Vancouver Principles, the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations said.

The Georgian diplomat stressed that Russia “bears full responsibility for violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms” in both occupied regions of Georgia, calling the restrictions of the freedom of movement, access to healthcare and the prohibition of education in native language the major concerns.

He called on the international community to urge Russia to “cease its provocative and destructive actions” in the occupied regions and start fulfilling its international obligations, including the EU-mediated August 12, 2008 Ceasefire Agreement that ended the five-day war between Russia and Georgia.

In his address, Khandamishvili also mentioned Russia’s war against Ukraine, which he said was “causing enormous human suffering”, and condemned in the “strongest possible terms” the country’s military aggression.