Summary: October 30, 2001: Declaration on behalf of the EU by H.E. M. Jean de Ruyt, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the U.N. The situation in Georgia (New York)
Mr. President,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, the associated countries of Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and Liechtenstein, EFTA country belonging to the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
Before anything else, Mr. President, I should like to offer our most sincere condolences to UNOMIG and to the relatives of the military observers who died during their mission to Georgia. The European Union considers that the attack on the helicopter was unacceptable and vigorously condemns it. We trust that these disturbing events will be fully investigated and call on all the parties concerned to assist in the inquiry being carried out.
Mr. President,
We thank the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Mr. Dieter Boden, for his detailed briefing on recent developments concerning a political solution to the situation in Georgia. We take this opportunity to reiterate our support for his efforts and our appreciation of the work carried out so far.
Mr. President,
As Mr. Boden stated in his address to the Security Council on 24 April this year, defining political status remains at the heart of the peace process being conducted by the United Nations. In this connection he expressed the hope that the members of the group of Friends of the Secretary-General for Georgia would agree on the draft paper on the distribution of powers between Tbilissi and Sukhumi. The European Union fully agrees with this approach. We are bound to observe that such agreement has
still not been reached. The European Union takes the view that this lack of progress is threatening the entire peace effort. Accordingly, on 12 October the European Union called on the parties to the Abkhaz conflict and the group of Friends of the Secretary-General for Georgia to resume their efforts, on the basis of the Secretary-General's proposals, to reach a peaceful and global solution to the Abhkaz conflict which respects the territorial integrity of Georgia.
The urgent need for a solution, Mr. President, has been brought home to us once again by the worrying intensity of the violence and the fighting over the last month in the region and in the Kodor Gorge in particular. The European Union urges all the parties involved to refrain from military action or political pressure in order to avoid any escalation or aggravation of the situation in Georgia.
Mr. President,
We would emphasize the unmistakable importance of the regional context in which this conflict is taking place. The European Union considers an overall vision of the Southern Caucasus to be complementary to a resolution of the Abkhaz conflict. In this context the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia and the European Union do meet on a regular basis, in the framework of their Cooperation Council meetings, which actually is meeting today, to discuss the situation in the
Southern Caucasus. Our last meeting highlighted the fact that all the participants viewed the pursuit of peace, democracy, respect for human rights and economic prosperity as a common interest with the aim of stabilizing the region. The European Union welcomed this convergence of views and will continue its commitment to the region.
Mr. President,
A political settlement to the Abkhaz conflict is urgently needed, to solve the problem of the political status of Abkhazia and the return of the refugees and displaced persons, and the parties must pool their energies and their determination to bring this about. The presence of the Special Representative, Mr. Boden, testifies to the importance of this political process. We trust that his recommendations will meet with a positive response and will rekindle the peace negotiations between the
parties concerned. These negotiations are the only way out of the conflict.
Thank you, Mr. President.
| Top |
European Union Member States
Alerts by email
Email this page
Print this page