UN Security Council calls on Russia to withdraw troops from Georgian territory

UN Security Council on Russia and Georgia

The text of the statement was read on behalf of the members of the Security Council by Deputy Permanent Representative of Malta Francesca Gatti. According to her, Russia’s invasion of Georgia in August 2008 revealed an increasingly aggressive trend in Russia’s policy towards its neighbors and the European security architecture.

On August 14, the UN Security Council discussed the Russian–Georgian conflict and issued a statement on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the August War. The statement was authored by France, Japan, Malta, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, the United States and future members of the Security Council Denmark and Greece.

“As we all see today, despite the unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Russia has continued down this path,” Gatti said.

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On behalf of the UN Security Council, she once again strongly reaffirmed the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and condemned the ongoing gross violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity by the Russian Federation.

She also expressed concern that Russia has yet to fulfill its obligations under the EU-mediated 2008 ceasefire agreement, which includes withdrawing its forces from the existing line of conflict.

“We also condemn Russia’s gross intrusion and illegal military presence in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, which violates the UN Charter. These regions are an integral part of Georgia,” the statement reads.

Gatti emphasized that Russia is taking steps to interfere in these regions across various sectors, including political, military, judicial, economic, and social spheres. These actions involve signing integration agreements, transferring strategic sites like the Bichvinta (Pitsunda) resort, Sukhumi airport, and Ochamchire port to Russia, and unlawfully holding so-called elections.

This includes presidential elections in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali in March 2024, and parliamentary elections in South Ossetia in June 2024.

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“We once again reaffirm our condemnation of Russia’s ongoing provocations in Georgian territory, including continued military exercises in its territorial waters and airspace, and the steps taken to establish a permanent naval base in Ochamchire, which poses a significant threat to the security of Georgia and, more broadly, the Black Sea region.

We also condemn the use of barbed wire and the intensification of the process of erecting artificial barriers that divide Georgia’s internal regions, as well as the unlawful detentions and abductions of local residents,” Gatti stated.

Gatti also mentioned that the UN Security Council condemns the murders of Georgian citizens David Basharuli, Giga Otkhozoria, Archil Tatunashvili, Tamaz Ginturi, and Vitali Karbay, and she reminded that no one has been held accountable for the murder of Irakli Kvaratskhelia at a Russian military base in Abkhazia.

The European Court of Human Rights ruling confirmed Russia’s responsibility in six cases of human rights violations in 2021, including the killing of civilians, torture, inhumane treatment of military personnel, and the degradation of dignity.

The statement also addresses the discrimination against ethnic Georgians, the ban on education in their native language, and the deliberate damage to Georgian cultural heritage.