Georgian President Condemns Russian Occupation from UNGA Tribune
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the participants of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, saying Russia’s creeping occupation, altering of state borders and frequent closure of checkpoints, located at the “borders” with the occupied regions of Georgia, made normal and peaceful life impossible in the country.
She underlined that the strong spirit of Georgians was the a reaction to the tragedy of the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war, followed by the occupation of 20% of Georgia’s territory.
“I am speaking on behalf of citizens who reside throughout the territories of occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, where human rights are regularly violated, free movement is limited and the right of access to healthcare and education is infringed… I have to speak out for our IDP’s and refugees that for decades have been unable to return to their homes and land,” Zurabishvili stressed.
The President noted that Georgia remains committed to its peace policy, but when talking about the goal of peace and about ending conflict and occupation, she said “action is also necessary.” Georgia fully complies with the 2008 ceasefire agreement, she noted, and accordingly has no military force near the occupation line. She also highlighted that Georgia has unilaterally refused to use force.
“Our response is the Peace Initiative ‘Step Towards a Better Future,’ reaching out to the citizens of the occupied territories and allowing them access to health and education benefits, to take advantage of business opportunities and at to participate in some way in the economic development of Georgia,” she added.
Zurabishvili said Georgia's response to the war is openness and tolerance, emphasizing that the country received 1,500,000 Russian tourists last year and no incident was reported.
“Our response to war and occupation is to move forward on the chosen path of economic and democratic development,” she said. “Nothing can make Georgia abandon its ambitions and divert from the specific goals of Euro and Euro-Atlantic integration.”
“We have made significant progress in all of these areas so as not to deviate from the course ... to some extent, this is our peaceful victory over war and occupation, tragedy and destruction. But when our goal is peace and we talk about ending conflict or occupation, we must act,” she said.
She also spoke about the importance of diplomacy and action, saying the fact that Georgia refused to use force does not mean it will put up with the existing reality. She stressed the need to broaden the format of the Geneva International Discussions, which represents the only political dialogue between Russia and Georgia after the latter cut all diplomatic ties with its neighbor in 2008.
“Changes need to be made, but we cannot do it alone. We need everyone involved to achieve lasting peace in the region ... The political will of all parties will be necessary to make the Geneva format not only a conflict management tool but also a tool for resolving it. Further, political will is a requisite to creating new formats when needed,” she said.
Zurabishvili pointed out that the top priority for the Georgian authorities is to achieve de-escalation on the occupation line, which should lead to a final resolution of the conflict.
“Not only does war threaten the peace but is also an internal threat that is increasingly affecting our states and societies: polarization, impairment of civic values and loss of respect, hate speech, false information, conspiracy theories - all of these create a black hole that undermines the foundations of our society and democracy,” she added.
The Georgian President noted that agreed actions of the international community, tolerance and pluralism are the answer to the main challenges of the modern world.
The 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly is held in New York from September 24 to September 30.
By Thea Morrison
Image source: President’s Facebook page