Georgian PM urges Abkhazia, Tskhinvali residents to embrace unity in address to UN

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze reached out to the residents of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), urging them to embrace a future within a unified Georgian state.

In a compelling address at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, he articulated his vision for restoring territorial integrity through a process of mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, Caliber.Az reports per Georgian media.

Kobakhidze expressed his intention to reach out to people residing beyond the occupation line, specifically in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.

“Whatever actions we take are done to help our people so that one day, with our children, we can live together in one happy, united, and developed Georgia. On this side of the occupation line, we will always meet you with an open heart. We have to rebuild all the broken bridges in our country” Kobakhidze said.

Later, he told Georgian journalists that the restoration of Georgia's territorial integrity is the primary task of the authorities.

"Our task is to restore the integrity of the state by peaceful means, and the way forward in this direction lies through mutual forgiveness and mutual reconciliation,"  Kobakhidze stressed.

Notably, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are regions in Georgia that declared independence after the Soviet Union's dissolution in the early 1990s, though their independence remains largely unrecognized. In 2008, escalating tensions arose from military build-ups and inflammatory rhetoric, as Georgia sought to reintegrate the regions while Russia supported the separatists. 

The conflict, which resulted in hundreds of casualties and thousands displaced, ignited on August 7, 2008, when Georgia launched an offensive in South Ossetia, prompting a swift Russian military response. Russia intervened, claiming to protect its citizens, and quickly overpowered Georgian forces. The fighting lasted five days, concluding with a ceasefire on August 12, facilitated by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Following the war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent, escalating tensions with the West. Currently, both regions remain under Russian control, amidst ongoing geopolitical complexities involving NATO and the EU.

By Khagan Isayev