New York, 23 February 2022
Mr. President,
Excellences, Distinguished Colleagues,
My delegation aligns itself with the Statement [to be] delivered by the European Union. Let me add following remarks in my national capacity.
Last year we celebrated 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which was created to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Today, our generation, and this very United Nations, and the rules based order, has come at a critical juncture. How the events will unfold, will define not only the future of security and stability in Europe, but of the entire international community.
It is deeply alarming that international norms and principles that we all committed to uphold are repeatedly violated by the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the Security Council who’s primary responsibility is to do the exact opposite – act as the guardian of peace and security. Unfortunately, Breaching the international law and undermining international rulesbased order has long been a marking of Russia’s aggressive policy towards its neighbouring states, aimed at forcefully redrawing their borders and trying to curb their sovereign choices. My country, Georgia, is no exception here.
Russia’s decision to “recognize” the so-called independence of integral parts of Ukraine, and sending its military, as the so-called “peacekeepers”, represent grave violation of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. Moreover, they are in breach of Russia’s own commitments made under the Budapest Memorandum, and the Minsk Agreements, endorsed by the Security Council Resolution 2202.
The Georgian Government strongly condemns Russia’s so-called “recognition” of Ukraine’s territories – the so-called LPR and DPR. Let me be clear, this decisions – as in the case of the Russian-occupied Georgian regions – shall never be accepted by the international community.
8 years have passed since the Russian aggression against Ukraine, annexation of Crimea and instigation of the conflict in Donbas. The humanitarian cost alone is tremendous: more than 14 000 Ukrainian citizens died, while more than 30 000 have been injured and almost 1.5 million residents of the occupied areas of Ukraine now live in internal displacement.
As we speak, another wave of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is well underway. It is aimed at redrawing Ukraine’s sovereign borders, and the security repercussions of such actions will go far beyond Ukraine.
Let me express strong solidarity, and commend brave Ukrainian people for their restraint and resilience in the face of the ongoing aggression.
Dear Colleagues,
Aggression against Ukraine is a repetition of the same pattern of Russia’s illegal actions that we saw against my own country.
It started with inciting and backing up puppet regimes in Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, then came a full-scale military aggression in 2008 under fabricated pre-texts, leading to their illegal occupation, and shortly after signing a ceasefire agreement, instead of fulfilling obligations undertaken, Russia recognized the occupied territories as sovereign entities, thus creating a launch pad for their factual annexation.
As of today, in breach of all the international commitments, including, inter alia, the EU mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, Russian Federation continues its illegal and provocative actions towards the occupied regions of Georgia, conducting so called borderization process, which in effect is nothing less than a continuous aggression, and a creeping annexation.
Humanitarian consequences of the aforementioned actions are appalling, given unbearable human rights situation and the conditions the civilian population, women and children have to endure.
We are seeing the very same playbook in action in Ukraine.
This pattern of behaviour brazenly undermines the entire international rules-based order, poses grave threat to regional and global peace and security, and are inconsistent with the ways how responsible states should act in the 21st century.
It is no longer about just Ukraine, or Georgia, or other countries neighbouring Russia. Peace and Security in Europe and beyond, are at stake. Silence and acquiescence to land-grabbing today is tantamount to a crime before the generations to come.
Distinguished Colleagues,
We should be united in defending the very fundamentals of the international rules-based system, and first and foremost the UN Charter, Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris for a New Europe.
With this in mind, we call on Russia to reverse its illegal recognition, to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine and its borders, and abide by the international law. We call upon Russia to do the same with regards to the occupied Georgian regions.
In conclusion,
Georgia strongly supports Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and reiterates its unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea and Donbas, and Ukraine’s navigational rights in its territorial waters.
I thank you.