Press conference by permanent representative of Georgia

 

Russian troops charged with monitoring the 1994 Georgia-Abkhaz peace agreement, as part of a peacekeeping force of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) monitored by the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), were described as “not impartial” by Georgia’s Permanent Representative Irakli Alasania, who then called for a United Nations-led peacekeeping force to replace the Russian-dominated one.  He was speaking to correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

He said an idea had been under discussion at the United Nations for years.  Mr. Alasania, the President of Georgia’s Special Representative to the Georgian-Abkhaz talks, said that in 2000, Russian troops had deployed paratrooper operations in Upper Abkhazia, Georgia -- also called the Kodori Valley -- without United Nations or Georgian consent, but then, had retreated after meeting local resistance.  Mr. Alasania cited that act as one example of the “constant attempts” to destabilize his country, and said it showed that changes to the composition of peacekeeping troops were urgently needed.

“There were systematic efforts from the Russian side to trigger military unrest in Upper Abkhazia,” he said.  “That’s why we’re not seeing the Russian peacekeepers there as impartial peacekeepers.”

A United Nations Observer Mission had been established in Georgia, he told correspondents, to monitor the peacekeeping force, and to create a secure environment for the return of internally displaced persons that were uprooted in the war between the Republic of Georgia and separatist forces in Abkhazia province in the 1990s.  Before the war, around 70 per cent of the province’s population were ethnic Georgians, but ethnic cleansing caused almost two-thirds of the population to be expelled, leaving the area to be overseen by a mono-ethnic, Abkhaz, de facto Government.

Mr. Alasania said it was his belief that in the 13 years since UNOMIG was established, the United Nations had not been successful in carrying out its mandate.  He said Georgia would agree to a United Nations-led peacekeeping process in the region, provided that peacekeeping operations were undertaken by a multinational force.  “We’re emphasizing the need of a change to the peacekeeping operations on the ground, which is led by Russians, to a more effective peacekeeping operation that would create a secure environment for internally displaced persons and returnees to go back to their homes.”

Malkhaz Akhisbaia, Head of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, who was also present at the press conference, said that up until recently, the Government of Abkhazia -- an area considered an autonomous republic within Georgia -- had been in exile in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.

He told correspondents that the Government was now restored to Upper Abkhazia, with an office of 15 to 20 people.  Further, millions of dollars were being spent to fix roads, build schools and medical centres and run social welfare programmes to help a population that had suffered from many years of instability.

For the 300,000 Georgians expelled from their homes, not much had changed, said Mr. Akhisbaia.  “The deliberations next door are not focused on eliminating the obstacles preventing their return”, he added, referring to recent Security Council talks on the situation in Abkhazia.  To the contrary, he continued, a resolution adopted by the Security Council on Abkhazia this morning stressed the importance of close, effective cooperation between UNOMIG and the peacekeeping force from CIS -- whose very role was being disputed by the Georgian Government.  That resolution SC/1716/2006 had also urged Georgia to ensure that no troops unauthorized by the Moscow ceasefire agreement were present in that area.  It had also called for full compliance of all previous agreements regarding non-violence and confidence-building.

Mr. Alasania earlier said that claims by one of the Permanent Members of the Security Council had misrepresented the Georgian Government’s rightful actions in the region, including those to conduct a police operation against a group of criminals operating in Upper Abkhazia.  Results from UNOMIG patrolling had been “very encouraging”, he said, and would put an end to some “wild speculations”.

Asked by a correspondent why contentions between the Russian Federation and Georgia had suddenly flared up, Mr. Alasania said increased efforts by Georgia to pursue greater Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as its aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), had triggered a belief in Russia that it was gradually losing influence over the country.  Mr. Alasania replied that when four Russian servicemen were detained by Georgian authorities a few weeks ago for engaging in aggressive intelligence gathering, Russia had used the event as a pretext to impose embargoes on Georgia.  All along, Russia had harboured ethnic-intolerant sentiments towards Georgia.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record