Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovak and Turkish Presidents at UNGA General Debate, September 19, 2017. Photos: United Nations

Presidents of Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Turkey made statements on Georgia in their addresses at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly on September 19.

Below are the excerpts from their statements.

President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid: “Ongoing military aggression in Eastern Ukraine continues to stir conflict and cause casualties amongst the civilians, including loss of a member of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. Crimean peninsula remains occupied, as do parts of Georgia. There are protracted conflicts in Transnistria and Nagorno Karabakh.”

President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite: “Despite Russia’s special responsibility to protect international peace as permanent member of the Security Council, it violated the UN Charter by attacking Georgia, illegally annexing Crimea, and directly participating in the war in Eastern Ukraine.”

President of Poland, Andrzej Duda: “Poland also wishes to contribute to the building of international order founded on the principles of political sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any attempt, be it successful or not, of violating these principles, will weaken mutual trust. For almost ten years in Georgia, and for the third year in Ukraine, have we been witnessing obvious violation of fundamental principles of UN Charter, including the principle of inviolability of borders, respect of sovereignty, renouncing the use of military force in resolution of disputes.”

President of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska: “We are witnesses of short-sighted interests built on spreading instability, undermining collective efforts to secure peace and security. The very core of the UN Charter for securing peaceful coexistence among nations is crippled in the name of the selfish pursue, egoism of the so-called spheres of influence. Which is a fancy phrase too often misused only to cover violations of international order and to justify disrespect for sovereignty. It’s a dangerous game of tragic outcomes and unintended consequences. We in Europe can see it too. Ukraine, Georgia or Moldova, they all know the price of peace. They are all well aware of the pains of their sovereignty being undermined by an aggressive neighbor. Neighbor who thinks the rules does not apply to him.”

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Georgia is the key for regional stability in Southern Caucasus. Therefore, we need to work harder for the resolution of the conflicts of Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”

Georgia also featured in the meeting of Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, and the Vice President of United States of America, Mike Pence. The EU External Action service reported after the meeting on September 19 that the two leaders discussed, among other issues, “the latest developments in the Eastern Europe, in particular the situation in Georgia and Ukraine, and confirmed strong support for the ongoing reforms in both countries.”

The annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly is the occasion for world leaders to gather at UN Headquarters to discuss global issues. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who is leading the Georgian delegation to the UN General Assembly, will deliver a statement on September 21.