Georgian Foreign Minister addressed the 29th OSCE Ministerial Council’s plenary session, stressing Georgia’s support for Ukraine, as well as the importance of the international communities’ unity in forcing Russia to fulfil its international obligations.

“Nine months ago, the European security architecture was shattered by Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine. The humanitarian consequences are dreadful with thousands of lives lost and millions of others displaced. We continue to stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and reiterate Georgia’s unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

Following the full-scale military aggression in August 2008, we suffer grave consequences daily bases. The two regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali - remain occupied by Russia. These regions were tended to be military strongholds and are now heavily depopulated. Over 300,000 Georgians were expelled from their homes and are still deprived of the possibility to exercise their right to return”, - said Ilia Darchiashvili.

He also mentioned the European Court of Human Rights judgment of January 2021 and the decision of the International Criminal Court of June 2022 “which legally attested Russia’s occupation and its effective control of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions and has responsibility for human rights violations”.