The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili participated in a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, held in New York, on 22 February.

In his speech, Ilia Darchiashvili condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine, which, according to him, has been a brazen attack on the international rules-based order shattering global peace and security architecture.

“It has resulted in grave humanitarian consequences, loss of lives and mass displacement. We succeed only if each and every member of this Organization stands firm in defending its founding principles”  the Minister said.

The Georgian Foreign Minister highlighted the increasing role the UN plays in maintaining peace across the globe. He reiterated Georgia’s support for the Peace Formula Initiative, whichgoes beyond the restoration of peace and territorial integrity of Ukraine and has more overarching aim of defending the core values of the United Nations.

“Ukraine needs peace, our countries and our peoples need peace. The world needs peace. We face the global challenges of unprecedented scale, climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, unconventional threats that require our joint efforts, our cooperation. There is so much the United Nations can and have to do. We need to do so for our children. We need to do so for the future generations,”  Ilia Darchiashvili says.

According to the Minister, Georgia stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in these trying times. Ilia Darchiashvili also focused on the difficult situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia. “It has been almost 15 years since Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Georgia and consequent occupation of 20% of its territories in blatant violation of the principles of the UN Charter, Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris,”  Darchiashvili noted.

In this context, he highlighted the importance of the international community’s joint efforts.

“Georgia remains committed to peaceful resolution of Russia-Georgia conflict that relies on de-occupation of two Georgian regions by Russia on the one hand and reconciliation and confidence building between the communities across the occupation lines, on the other. While Georgia remains in full compliance with the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, consolidated approach of the international community is essential in urging Russia to comply with its obligations under Ceasefire Agreement and withdraw its military forces from the territory of Georgia. In this regard, Georgia tries to utilize the existing negotiations format of the Geneva International Discussions,”  Ilia Darchiashvili explained.

The Georgian Foreign Minister reaffirmed Georgia’s firm support to the draft resolution, which once again sends a clear signal in defence of the core principles of this Organization, principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and calls for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter.