Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili at United Nations General Assembly
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, September 27
The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili delivered a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations. Garibashvili focused on the “stable economic development” of Georgia amid the global pandemic.
Georgian Prime Minister also discussed the irreversibility of the Euro-Atlantic foreign course taken by the country and the occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia.
Garibashvili said that not only does Russia occupy 20 percent of the Georgian territory, it is also actively damaging Georgia's chances to become part of the European and western world.
“Nothing can stand in the way of our country's commitment to a truly global idea, nor can external forces hinder it, yet our multi-faceted freedom is challenged every day. We are witnessing a humanitarian crisis in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali every day, for which only the occupying force is responsible,” said Prime Minister of Georgia.
Garibashvili called on the world community from the UN tribune to end the illegal occupation of Georgian territory by Russia and talked about the general situation in the country. He noted that starting from 2012, Georgia has managed to hold 6 democratic elections.
“All of them have been assessed as free and fair by the international community,” added Garibashvili.
During his speech, Garibashvili also said that economic hardships were not only Georgia's problem due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but he also said that the main aim for the country now is to create more jobs.
Georgian Prime Minister said that for Georgia, becoming part of the EU and NATO means to 'go back home':
“We'll continue to reform and modernize all aspects of our democracy and economy until we reach the highest global standards. The path to the European and Euro-Atlantic structures means returning home because it is a civilized choice of Georgia and it is unanimously supported by the vast majority of our population,” said Garibashvili.
According to the Prime Minister of Georgia, the government has prepared a comprehensive action plan, which will ensure the application for membership in the EU by 2024.
Prime Minister Gharibashvili met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the General Assembly. During the meeting, Irakli Gharibashvili focused on the difficult situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. He also undermined the importance of the UN's role in restoring the format of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in Gali.
Garibashvili attended the 76th General Assembly of UN in New York on September 20-25.
