Prepared by Messenger Staff
UN General Assembly Adopts Georgia IDP Resolution
On June 3, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution affirming the right of return for all displaced persons and refugees from Georgia's Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia. The vote saw 107 countries in favor, 9 against, and 49 abstentions.
The number of supporters rose from 103 last year, with Paraguay, South Korea, Seychelles, and Sierra Leone joining the "yes" camp. The nine countries voting "no" were Russia, Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Nicaragua, Sudan, and Zimbabwe - the same count as last year, but with Equatorial Guinea and Sudan newly added, while Burundi and Syria dropped out.
Syria, which had consistently voted against the resolution in the past, abstained this year following the fall of the Assad regime in December.
Georgia's Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili welcomed the result on social media, calling it an "unprecedented number of supporters." However, China abstained once again, despite its strategic partnership with the Georgian Dream government.
Georgia has submitted this resolution annually since 2008. It condemns forced demographic changes in Russian-occupied regions, reaffirms IDPs' right to return regardless of ethnicity, and calls for the protection of their property. It also mandates the UN Secretary-General to report yearly on conditions and implementation.
Abkhazia's De Facto Leader Denies Russian Naval Base Plans in Ochamchire
Badra Gunba, the de facto president of occupied Abkhazia, has denied that Russia plans to establish a full naval base in the coastal city of Ochamchire. In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS on May 31, Gunba said the project is aimed at creating a "logistical support facility" for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, not a formal naval base.
He confirmed that an agreement has already been signed and stated that the facility would deepen military cooperation between Russian and Abkhaz forces.
Gunba's remarks differ from earlier reports in 2023, when Russia announced plans to open a permanent naval base in the region.
Georgia's State Security Service, in its 2024 annual report, also claimed with "high likelihood" that the project is not for a base, but instead for a "container transportation terminal."
