Mr. Chairperson,

Ukraine aligned itself with the Joint statement delivered on behalf of the Group of Friends of Georgia and the EU statement on this current issue.

In addition, I would also like to make some remarks in my national capacity.

While Ukraine keeps resisting to russian full-scale invasion, 15 years have already passed since another blatant disregard for international law by russia –armed aggression against Georgia and partial occupation of its sovereign territory.

This crime by the russian federation is the primary reason for suffering of thousands of Georgian people. Occupied regions remain in stagnation.

Georgian families remain divided by the occupation line. Representatives of the occupation regime illegally keep detaining those people, who try to overcome this division.

As we discuss all these issues one question hangs in the air: was russia held accountable for the crime of aggression against Georgia? Or it enjoyed impunity which paved the way to bigger tragedies marked by russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and followed by the full-scale invasion in 2022? I think the answer is well obvious.

Russia will face inevitable responsibility for its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Both war criminals in moscow and their envoys in this hall must have already understood this, despite pretending they have not.

Georgian territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders must be restored. It is about all of us, the international community, to make russia accountable for its aggression against Georgia. The higher price for moscow for its aggressive actions, the bigger chance for our successors to live in peace without war in the future.  

I mentioned this once but I will repeat. It is important that the price of war for moscow would be enormous, crushingly high. Every day of occupation of other state’s sovereign territory must be extremely painful for the war criminal regime. This is the only way to treat the plague of aggression in the modern world. Unfortunately, all other, let’s say good will methods, proved themselves useless regarding putin, as they are taken for weakness by him, tempting appetite of the aggressor for new crimes.   

Mr. Chairperson,

Taking this opportunity, I would like to draw attention of the participating States to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the 15^th anniversary of the military aggression of the russian federation against Georgia.

I quote: «August 7 marks fifteen years since the beginning of the armed aggression of the russian federation against Georgia. Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia of Georgia continue to suffer from Russian occupation.

Ukraine supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.

The Kremlin's illegal attempt to forcefully change the borders of a sovereign state did not receive a proper response from the international community. After occupying a part of Georgia’s territory, Russia continued its aggressive policy by occupying the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014 and launching a full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

We are convinced that it is possible to stop the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation through the joint efforts of the international community, full compliance with the sanctions against Russia and comprehensive support of the countries against which the Kremlin carries out aggression.

Russia must de-occupy Georgian and Ukrainian territories. Russian war criminals must bear the strictest responsibility». End of quote.

I thank you, Mr. Chairperson.