The United Nations Security Council, at the request of Ukraine, held a closed door meeting on March 28 on the latest developments in Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.

Speaking at his press briefing after the Security Council meeting, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko stressed that the situation in Georgia “is deteriorating” and therefore, “deserves the attention of the Security Council.”

“The attempts of annexation and actions by the Russian Federation which are aimed at the factual unification of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and [South] Ossetia … [as well as] the closure of the crossing points … deteriorated the situation in the field of human rights and the [overall] humanitarian situation,” Yelchenko explained.

Volodymyr Yelchenko added that more than half of the Security Council members took the floor during the discussion and all but one delegation, the Russian Federation, were in favor voicing support to Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Yelchenko added that the Russian diplomat also turned down Ukraine’s proposal on issuing a press statement, which would consist of “just two things:” that the Security Council considered the agenda item on the situation in Georgia and that the Security Council members “reiterated their full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.”

“UK strong supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Matthew Rycroft, United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative and the President of the Security Council for March, said in his remarks after the meeting.

Rycroft explained that at the Security Council discussion he expressed UK’s concern “about recent developments in Georgia, including reduction of administrative boundary line crossing points to and from Abkhazia, which affect freedom of movement of the local population.” 

“We do not recognize the parliamentary elections that took place in Abkhazia on March 12. These developments along with the upcoming so called presidential elections and referendum on changing name of South Ossetia do not contribute to the lasting solution of conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Matthew Rycroft added.