US absent from UN statement on Georgia for first time in 17 years

On August 19, the UN Security Council held its annual session commemorating the anniversary of the five-day war of 2008.

The meeting concluded without the adoption of any formal documents. In keeping with tradition, several Security Council members issued a joint statement following the session, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The statement described the presence of Russian troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia as an “illegal occupation” and drew a comparison with Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. It also reaffirmed support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.”

Among the countries endorsing the declaration were the United Kingdom, France, Slovenia, Denmark, and Greece. Notably, the United States did not join the statement for the first time in 17 years.

The declaration, signed primarily by European Security Council members, emphasised the parallel between Russia’s military presence in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and its actions in Ukraine, underscoring international backing for Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Relations between Washington and Tbilisi have sharply deteriorated since the October 2024 parliamentary elections, during which the opposition accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of widespread election falsification. Tensions escalated in December 2024 when clashes erupted between police and opposition protesters in the Georgian capital.

Following these events, the United States imposed sanctions on several Georgian officials and on Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream party. Washington also announced the freezing of the Charter of Strategic Cooperation, originally signed with Georgia in 2009, a few months after the 2008 war.

Despite hopes expressed by Tbilisi that Donald Trump’s presidential victory would reset Georgian-American relations, these expectations have not materialised.

By Tamilla Hasanova