Tbilisi, 2 October 2022 (TDI): Foreign Ministry of Georgia strongly condemned the annexation of four territories of Ukraine by Russia.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the referendum held by Russian Federation and called this accession an illegal act.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in 2014 with the Russian invasion of Crimea. The contemporary phase of the conflict started in February 2022 when a military escalation started on the Russian-Ukraine border.
The Russian officials initially refuted any plan of invasion. On 24th February 2022, Russia started invading the military troops in the territory of Ukraine.
President of Russia, Vladimir Putin called this invasion a ‘Special military operation’ to accomplish the task of demilitarization. With time the operation turned into a full-fledged war. Ukraine launched its troops to resist the attack.
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The clash got wide international attention and condemnation. The International Court of Justice issued an order to stop this operation. The Western countries enforced sanctions on Russia and it was also ejected from the Council of Europe.
On 30th September, Russia officially annexed four occupied territories of Ukraine named Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia by signing an official agreement.
Statement by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
The Ministry of Foreign affairs of Georgia issued a statement on 1st October 2022 and called the Russian initiative illegal that violated international Law. Russia has changed the internationally recognized border of Ukraine through coercive measures.
It was further stated that International Law warrants the territorial solidarity and sovereignty of each member of the global community. The initiative of Russia was a contravention of the fundamental principles of this law.
Georgia itself has gone through the forceful experience of changing the border. Therefore, it would never recognize the outcomes of the so-called referendum held in Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry of Georgia once again stressed that she strongly supports Ukraine’s right to self-determination and territorial integrity along with the recognition of international borders.
