.
On June 3, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the right of return of all internally displaced persons (IDPS) and refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to their homes throughout Georgia.
The Georgia-sponsored non-binding resolution has been adopted annually by the UN GA for the past eight years, supporting the rights of all IDPs to return to breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This year, the Georgian representatives managed to corral 75 in favor to 16 against, with 78 abstentions - an improvement from last year.
Georgia’s UN ambassador, Kakha Imnadze, explained to the Assembly that the resolution was "not directed against any party."
The representative instead framed the issue in a humanitarian context, claiming that the resolution would affirm the rights of the displaced and the urgent need for action in that regard.
Russia was Georgia's only major opposition at the Assembly, and have consistently voted against the resolution since 2008. Describing the resolution as "politicized and opportunistic in its essence," the Evgeny Zagaynov, the deputy UN representative from Russia, harshly censured the initiative for its "propagandistic purposes." Discussing the issue without voices from Abkhazia and South Ossetia was "counterproductive" for the development of peace in the region, according to the Zagaynov.
Ultimately, the Russian delegate claimed that the Georgian side was using humanitarian principles to pursue its political agenda in defiance of the wishes of the peoples and regions concerned.
However this year, Russia's dissent swayed less of the audience of diplomats in the General Assembly than it had in past years. 75 votes in favor is a record number for the annual resolutions, with the first one in 2008 only passing with 14 votes in support.
"Its primary focus on human rights is a deliberate choice to avoid political speculation when the fundamental rights of displaced are at stake,” Georgia's representative Imnadze stated about the resolution.
“The text of the resolution remains unchanged, because its provisions continue to remain unfulfilled,” the Georgian diplomat said. “When introducing this resolution every year, we leave politics aside, and focus exclusively on humanitarian dimension of the problem.”
Not convinced by the human-rights approach of the Georgian envoy, the Russian representative also explained to the Assembly that "Georgia’s persistent refusal to sign non-use of force agreements” with Abkhazia and South Ossetia “does not contribute to creation of conditions for safe return of refugees.” Georgian news media, in turn, points to the already unilaterally undertaken non-use of force agreements signed by Tbilisi - and instead they shift the blame onto Russia, who has refused to reciprocate, claiming to be a non-party to the Georgian conflict.
The recent Ukrainian crisis has shed a new light on the issues of Russian power within the former Soviet Bloc. In late 2008, Russian engaged in a bloody conflict with Georgia over the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia: two regions that were under de facto Russian-backed and internationally unrecognized separatist control following the civil war in the 1990s. The subsequent victory of Russian military forces left the two regions as pseudo-autonomous breakaway states. At that time, Russia's foreign affairs were left relatively unscathed. Despite the bloodshed, the brevity of the war played a factor in the incident receding from the public conscious, and by 2010 the Obama administration had revoked all of the sanctions placed on Russia as a result of the conflict.
However, the issue of forced displacement has taken a whole new role with the recent extended Ukrainian crisis. As of now, the UN estimates that the number of IDP's in Ukraine stands at more than 1.2 million. The representative from the Ukraine spoke during the Assembly proceedings, supporting the text, and reaffirming the need for international attention to the rights of IDPs. Looking back, many see the Russo-Georgian crisis as a foreshadow to Putin's current neo-colonial plans in Ukraine. With the Minsk II agreement creating a tenuous cease-fire in Ukraine, it seems like Russia has managed to create another "frozen conflict."
While the international relations of Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Russia are multi-faceted and complex - maintaining the rights of IDPs is paramount. For too long, the civilians have been caught in the cross-fire of this multinational conflict, and the international community must continue to support the human rights of the hundreds of thousands who have been forced from their homes.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution Supporting Georgia's IDPs
June 16, 2015
On June 3, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the right of return of all internally displaced persons (IDPS) and refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to their homes throughout Georgia.
The Georgia-sponsored non-binding resolution has been adopted annually by the UN GA for the past eight years, supporting the rights of all IDPs to return to breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This year, the Georgian representatives managed to corral 75 in favor to 16 against, with 78 abstentions - an improvement from last year.
Georgia’s UN ambassador, Kakha Imnadze, explained to the Assembly that the resolution was "not directed against any party."
The representative instead framed the issue in a humanitarian context, claiming that the resolution would affirm the rights of the displaced and the urgent need for action in that regard.
Russia was Georgia's only major opposition at the Assembly, and have consistently voted against the resolution since 2008. Describing the resolution as "politicized and opportunistic in its essence," the Evgeny Zagaynov, the deputy UN representative from Russia, harshly censured the initiative for its "propagandistic purposes." Discussing the issue without voices from Abkhazia and South Ossetia was "counterproductive" for the development of peace in the region, according to the Zagaynov.
Ultimately, the Russian delegate claimed that the Georgian side was using humanitarian principles to pursue its political agenda in defiance of the wishes of the peoples and regions concerned.
However this year, Russia's dissent swayed less of the audience of diplomats in the General Assembly than it had in past years. 75 votes in favor is a record number for the annual resolutions, with the first one in 2008 only passing with 14 votes in support.
"Its primary focus on human rights is a deliberate choice to avoid political speculation when the fundamental rights of displaced are at stake,” Georgia's representative Imnadze stated about the resolution.
“The text of the resolution remains unchanged, because its provisions continue to remain unfulfilled,” the Georgian diplomat said. “When introducing this resolution every year, we leave politics aside, and focus exclusively on humanitarian dimension of the problem.”
Not convinced by the human-rights approach of the Georgian envoy, the Russian representative also explained to the Assembly that "Georgia’s persistent refusal to sign non-use of force agreements” with Abkhazia and South Ossetia “does not contribute to creation of conditions for safe return of refugees.” Georgian news media, in turn, points to the already unilaterally undertaken non-use of force agreements signed by Tbilisi - and instead they shift the blame onto Russia, who has refused to reciprocate, claiming to be a non-party to the Georgian conflict.
The recent Ukrainian crisis has shed a new light on the issues of Russian power within the former Soviet Bloc. In late 2008, Russian engaged in a bloody conflict with Georgia over the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia: two regions that were under de facto Russian-backed and internationally unrecognized separatist control following the civil war in the 1990s. The subsequent victory of Russian military forces left the two regions as pseudo-autonomous breakaway states. At that time, Russia's foreign affairs were left relatively unscathed. Despite the bloodshed, the brevity of the war played a factor in the incident receding from the public conscious, and by 2010 the Obama administration had revoked all of the sanctions placed on Russia as a result of the conflict.
However, the issue of forced displacement has taken a whole new role with the recent extended Ukrainian crisis. As of now, the UN estimates that the number of IDP's in Ukraine stands at more than 1.2 million. The representative from the Ukraine spoke during the Assembly proceedings, supporting the text, and reaffirming the need for international attention to the rights of IDPs. Looking back, many see the Russo-Georgian crisis as a foreshadow to Putin's current neo-colonial plans in Ukraine. With the Minsk II agreement creating a tenuous cease-fire in Ukraine, it seems like Russia has managed to create another "frozen conflict."
While the international relations of Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Russia are multi-faceted and complex - maintaining the rights of IDPs is paramount. For too long, the civilians have been caught in the cross-fire of this multinational conflict, and the international community must continue to support the human rights of the hundreds of thousands who have been forced from their homes.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
