Georgian FM holds phone conversation with UN Secretary-General
By Tsotne Pataraia
Thursday, August 29
Georgian Foreign Minister held a telephone conversation with the UN Secretary-General. The information about the conversation between David Zalkaliani and Antonio Guterres was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. This call was preceded by a discussion of the situation in the occupied regions with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the EU High Representative, as co-chairing the Geneva process.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, David Zalkaliani briefed the UN Secretary-General on the situation in the occupied regions of Georgia. Particular emphasis was placed on the complex human rights environment, recent developments on the occupation line, including the illegal process of erection of artificial barriers and arrests. The conversation also touched upon the illegal so-called presidential elections in occupied Abkhazia.
The Georgian side reaffirmed its commitment to the process of de-escalation and peaceful resolution of conflicts, including its constructive and consistent participation in the Geneva International Discussions:
“The recent developments on the occupation line highlighted the importance of discussing the incident prevention and response mechanism as well as the Geneva talks. In this context, the parties welcomed the decision of the UN Special Representative for the Geneva International Discussions to arrive in Georgia and to familiarize with the situation on the ground,” reads the statement of the Ministry.
During the phone conversation, the Georgian Foreign Minister also thanked the UN Secretary-General for Georgia's support and active involvement in the peaceful resolution of the conflict and highlighted the importance of further intensifying the issue of Georgia in the UN agenda to halt destructive and escalating processes.
As reported by the Ministry, UN Secretary-General Guterres has also reiterated his support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The Georgian Foreign Minister's telephone conversation with top officials of principal international organizations was led by the actions of the Russian occupation forces. On August 15, two residential houses have ended up beyond the new so-called border that Russian occupants erected in the village of Gugutiantkari, Gori Municipality. The work first began on August 7, when occupation forces installed posts for the further installation of barbed wires and stopped afterward.
Russian occupation forces have been carrying out a so-called creeping occupation and gradually occupying Georgia-controlled area since 2011, three years after the Russian-Georgian war. Barbed wires, installed by the Russian occupation forces are only a few hundred meters away from the East-West Highway, which runs across Georgia.
