We have just adopted a resolution that reinforces the hopes of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children — citizens of Georgia of various ethnic origins who were forced to flee their homes and communities. It is with them in mind that I would like to thank the members of the General Assembly.…
On behalf of Georgia, I would like today to introduce draft resolution A/63/L.79, concerning the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region of South Ossetia, Georgia. The draft resolution reaffirms the inalienable right of all IDPs an…
This is a rare occasion on which I would agree with my Russian colleague. The case brought by Georgia before the International Court of Justice against the unlawful actions of the Russian Federation that led to the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in two provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will be …
I would like to briefly respond to what we have just heard from the representative of Russia. It was a desperate attempt to save face and try to justify what has been universally condemned as a misapplication of the noble principle of the responsibility to protect, the unlawful and illegal recogniti…
I should like first to thank the President of the General Assembly for having organized this important debate. We value it as an opportunity to discuss how best to pursue the responsibility to protect (R2P) in ways that are consistent, effective and, above all, in the original
spirit of this founda…
The Government of Georgia deeply regrets the termination of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) due to the unconstructive position of the Russian Government. The Mission has long played an important role in bringing a level of security and stability to the Abkhazia region of Geor…
I suppose that most members of the Security Council expected the Georgian representative to become emotional. However, today we see the representative of the Russian Federation becoming very emotional about the facts, about the legal analysis and about the consequences of this meeting. I would like …
First of all, I should like to express my appreciation for the convening of this meeting. I should also like to extend my thanks to the representatives of the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations for their briefings.
My request to the President of the Securi…
I have a very simple question, but before posing that question I want to say that the representative of the Russian Federation referred to the massive humanitarian intervention, of a kind that had not been seen before, which they are performing in Georgia. I just want to assure Mr. Churkin that the …
Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting.
In my previous addresses to the Council, we asked this body to act swiftly to stop the aggression that my country was facing. Unfortunately, the state of affairs in Georgia has not changed, despite the ceasefire agreement reached a few days ago.…
I would like to make a brief comment. As I heard Ambassador Churkin talking, the question asked and the answer that was received, for me, confirm that what the Russian Federation is seeking through this military aggression and invasion is to change the democratically elected Georgian Government. But…
First of all, let me express our gratitude towards the majority — the near- totality — of the members of the Security Council for their observations. I also want to express our appreciation to the Under-Secretary-General and the Assistant Secretary-General for their observations and their briefings.…
For the past 12 hours, the inhuman and indiscriminate aerial bombardment of Georgian territory has continued. The scale of the devastating destruction and loss of innocent life has yet to be assessed. An armed invasion by Russian ground troops has already been transformed into a full-scale occupatio…
First of all, I would like to address one question to my colleague, Ambassador Churkin: Are you ready to stop the fighter jets that are in the air, which will soon be bombing my comrades in Georgia?
What will the Security Council do about this now? How are we going to address this? We all know that…
In response, when I made a statement that Georgian authorities never targeted the Russian Federation’s peacekeepers, that means that we never targeted the peacekeepers. Those who were targeted were mercenaries from the Russian Federation and also those who were actually shooting at and shelling Geor…
I want to express my gratitude to the members of the Security Council, who are truly concerned about the situation and the deterioration in Georgia.
First, I would like to make a few comments, on the statement of the Russian Federation’s representative, and then I have to make an urgent statement b…
Very briefly, I want to reiterate a few issues which were raised by my very respected colleague, Ambassador Churkin. First of all, I probably did not make myself quite clear: I was saying that the Russian side had explained to the Georgian side that they had no control over the South Ossetian regime…
Let me express my gratitude to the members of the Security Council for
this opportunity to address them. Today’s special Council meeting is being held to consider the grave escalation of the situation in the Tskhinvali region of Georgia. First, I will reflect on the recent events that have led to t…
Today, for the second time, the Council is holding a special meeting to discuss the issue related to my country. Only 12 hours ago, in this Chamber, I stated that there were disturbing signs that Georgia is facing a well-calculated provocation to escalate the situation in order to justify a premedit…
In the name of the Georgian nation and its President, Mikheil Saakashvili, I would like to express our appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations to enhance peace, prosperity and the well-being of humankind.
The delegation of Georgia fully aligns itself with the statement made by the repres…
