Statement of the delegations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at theinternational Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia

Statement

of the delegations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at theinternational Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia

Inconnection with a draft-resolution proposed by Georgia at the General Assembly of the UN on the situation of temporarily displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

At the 63th and 64th sessions of the UN General Assembly (2009 and 2010.)  a draft-resolution on refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, tabled by Georgia, was received. In this way, under the guise of appealing to a humanitarian issue, the Georgian side seeks to impose on the world-community its own, extremely distorted, vision of the problem of the refugees and thereby to reinforce its claim tothe territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In the draft-resolution on the refugees and IDPs tabled at the UN General Assembly by Georgia at the start of June this year, the text of which does not differ from resolutions of the UN adopted earlier,there is talk of confirming the rights of all IDPs and refugees and their descendants to return ‘to their homes throughout Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia’. The authors of the draft-resolution say nothing about the fact that the emergence of these refugeesand IDPs was directly related to the policies pursued by the Georgian Government in 1989-1992 and subsequent years in the wars unleashed by them against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Neither is anything said about the fact that of the hundred thousand Ossetians who fled ethnic cleansing from the territory of Georgia and who sought refuge in South Ossetia and the Russian Federation not a single one has managed toreturn to their homes.

The draft-resolution is silent about the initiative of South Ossetia indicating a readiness to return to their places of permanent residence in the Leningor District all the refugees currently in the territory of the Russian Federation and Georgia, regardless of nationality. In addition, the Georgian draft-resolution completely ignores the fact of the return, on the initiative of the authorities of Abkhazia, of more than 50 thousand Georgian refugees to the Gal District of Abkhazia.

The draft-resolution not only ignores the established politicalrealities, in particular, the fact that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are independent states, but has nothing to do with real desire to find solutions to the difficult humanitarian problems. Such a resolution, if the proposed Georgia draft be adopted, will not only not help to improve the situation of refugees from Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but will also have a very negative impact on the course of the Geneva talks, which continue to be the only platform where the representatives of South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia discuss a wide range of existing problems, including the problem of the refugees and displaced persons.

The main key to solving the refugee-problem is not diplomatic trickery and resolutions designed to achieve a propaganda-effect, which in no way carry forward a solution to the problem of refugees and IDPs, but rather a departure from confrontational attitudes and the signing of a legally binding agreement to forego the use of force, and, ultimately, of a peace-agreement between Georgia, on the one hand, and the Republics ofAbkhazia and South Ossetia, on the other hand.

We are convinced that the excessive politicisation by Georgia of theproblem of the refugees largely denies meaning to work in this area under the auspices of the Geneva talks. If Georgia prefersto discuss issues related to the situation of the refugees and IDPs insuch an authoritative international body as the UN General Assembly, then Abkhazia and South Ossetia will insist on their participation in the discussion of the said resolution at the UN in order to present their ownway of resolving this complex problem. If this possibility is denied to the representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, then for us it makes no sense at all to discuss this issue within the framework of the Geneva talks.

Geneva, 7 June 2011