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Saakashvili on Russia’s UN Mission Veto

A failure by Russia to endorse its draft resolution in the Security Council, which made no reference on the Georgia’s territorial integrity, is “our diplomatic victory,” President Saakashvili said on June 16.

“There is not even one gram of chance to gain Georgia’s consent on legalization of Georgian territories’ occupation in the condition of the present Georgian government and diplomacy; unfortunately, apparently they [Russia] hope that they may find someone else in Georgia, who will agree on this,” Saakashvili said.

He said that Russia’s goal “is to collapse the Georgian state.”

“But we should also understand that after such consolidated position of our allies in the UN, everybody saw that Georgia cannot be exchanged for anything; Russia attempted to trade-off [Georgian issues] with a resolution on North Korea and Iran. Russia was ready to pay any price in exchange for Security Council members giving up Georgia. But there was not even a slight hesitation on the side [of the Security Council members],” Saakashvili said.

“Yesterday it was the first serious test on non-recognition of occupation,” he continued. “I think that the international community, together with us, has clearly expressed its position and gave a precise answer to this major question [of Georgia’s territorial integrity].”

“Meanwhile, here, on our territory we are left face-to-face with the aggressor…  At this point we have to deal not with separatist governments, but with the aggressor and occupant… We should continue our struggle. I think, yesterday we received serious international legal arguments for our struggle… We have a long road ahead but we should pass this road to complete de-occupation and liberation of Georgia,” Saakashvili said.

He also thanked Georgia’s UN envoy, Alexandre Lomaia, for his “vigorous, patriotic and intellectual work.”

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 16, that closure of the OSCE mission in Georgia, followed with ceasing of the UN mission’s mandate questions “Georgia’s and its patrons” sincerity in maintaining stability in the region.

“Non-acceptance of our proposal to develop legally binding documents on non-use force is also a source of concern,” it said.

“There is less doubt that protracted internal political instability in Georgia incites the regime in Tbilisi to again try distracting public attention from ‘internal enemy’ to the problem of territorial integrity. It is not the first time when the Georgian leadership resorts to this method trying to shun away from resolving the pressing socio-economic problems.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that despite of “having certain questions” to EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), in particular about “its potential effectiveness in case of Tbilisi’s aggressive moves,” the presence of EU monitors in the areas adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia “is a weighty deterrent factor” for Tbilisi.

Russia, which blames Georgia and its western partners for ceasing of both the OSCE and UN missions in Georgia, said that the U.S. and European members of the UN Security Council knew that putting their sponsored resolution on extending the UN mission’s mandate for the vote would not be accepted because Abkhazia did not “figure there as an independent state.”

”There is no doubt that the full weight of responsibility for the departure of UN observers and workers from the region… rests with those Western states which for many months now have been demonstrating ideological obstinacy,” it said.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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