Moscow Downplays UN Security Council Meeting on Georgia

At the UN Security Council meeting Georgia tried to direct Council member states attention to a drone incident, but it has failed, Russian Foreign Ministry said on April 24.

Georgia pushed the April 20 downing of the Georgian unmanned reconnaissance plane over Abkhazia by, as Tbilisi claims, Russia’s MIG-29 fighter jet at the UN Security Council meeting on April 23. Russia’s decision to establish official links with Sokhumi and Tskhinvali were also discussed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said “overwhelming majority of the Security Council reacted on Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze’s address with restraint.” It also said “no document was adopted as a result of the session.”

The United States, Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement after the Security Council meeting calling on Russia “to revoke or not to implement its decision” on establishing official ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The four countries, along with Russia, are part of the UN Secretary General’s Group of Friends of Georgia, dealing with the Abkhaz conflict.

The joint statement by the four western powers took no view on the drone incident.

President Saakashvili said on April 24 that the joint statement by the four countries was significant for Georgia because “for the first time” the Group of Friends “was divided” with Russia standing alone.