At UN Human Rights Council, Georgian FM Criticizes Russia’s ‘Aggressive Policies’

Addressing UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 2, Georgian Foreign Minister, Tamar Beruchashvili, called on Russia “to stop its aggressive policies against sovereign states” and said that Moscow’s “aggression” against Ukraine is not an isolated case.

“Today we face the situation when the universally recognized principles and norms of international law are abused by one of the HRC [Human Rights Council] member states and a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” she said referring to Russia.

“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, annexation of Crimea and further destabilization of its eastern regions should be dully responded by the whole international community,” Beruchashvili said. 

“We call upon the Russia Federation to stop its aggressive policies against sovereign states and reaffirm our strong support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”

“Ukraine is not an isolated case, but rather part of Russia’s attempt to expand the zones of influence by hampering the sovereign right of nations to determine their future,” the Georgian Foreign Minister said. 

“A clear example of such policy is Russia’s military aggression against Georgia in 2008 and the subsequent occupation of 20 percent of sovereign territory of my country,” she said, adding that Russia “remains in flagrant violation” of the August, 2008 ceasefire agreement.

She said that Russia’s so called “integration” treaties with “occupation regimes in Tskhinvali and Sokhumi are the continuation of Russia’s creeping annexation policy.”

These developments, she said, further violate the right of “ethnically cleansed” internally displaced persons to return to their homes in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and also the rights of those people, who now live in the breakaway regions.

In her address Beruchashvili also said that Georgia, which has presented its candidacy for membership in the 47-member UN Human Rights Council for 2016-2018, continues harmonization of domestic legislation with international standards through ratification and accession to various human rights instruments and international conventions. 

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