YouSaid · the spoken record

Kvelashvili

lines on the record
29
first
2014-01-29
most recent
2016-04-14
sittings or episodes
5
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “In conclusion, I wish to reiterate Georgia's resolve and determination to further engage with our partner countries and international organizations with a common objective of reducing threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  2. “In December 2015, Georgia, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of the Philippines, as co-Chairs, established the United Nations Group of Friends of CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance to promote various CBRN-related topics in the United Nations by actively engaging with Member States and the United Nations Secretariat. The Group of Friends will help integrate the CBRN component in the international security architecture and foster regional and subregional cooperation on CBRN challenges. When we held our second meeting at the ambassadorial level on 6 April, we again encouraged the other Member States participating in the European Union's CBRN Centres of Excellence Risk Mitigation Initiative to join the Group.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  3. “Full compliance with the obligations under relevant international arrangements, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention, Council resolution 1540 (2004), among others, must stand out as the top priority for the international community. In this regard. I would like to remind the Council that, in coordination with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, the Government of Georgia organized high-level side events in October 2014 and 2015 on topics related to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear - CBRN - risk reduction.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  4. “The risks posed by the illegal military occupation of 20 per cent of our sovereign territory by the Russian Federation are our most serious problem. The occupied regions of Georgia, like any other grey zone throughout the world where legitimate national and international mechanisms are nonexistent, have been used for various sorts of illegal activities, including smuggling and terrorism. In this connection, I would like to remind this audience that over the past years there have been a number of recorded and prosecuted attempts to smuggle nuclear and radioactive materials through the Russian-occupied Georgian regions, and the international community has been duly informed about them.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  5. “Increasing threats emanating from various terrorist groups make the possibility of exploiting security vulnerabilities with criminal intent highly likely. It is not a secret that some terrorist groups have already demonstrated acute interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction to terrorize the world. Hypothetically speaking, terrorists can unlawfully obtain weapons of mass destruction or technologies and materials necessary to assemble them. Therefore, one day, the threat of weapons of mass destruction terrorism might shed its blurred lines and acquire quite a clear shape. To effectively prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, we will have to enhance the existing security architecture and reinforce the physical security of sensitive materials.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  6. “Bearing in mind the rapidly increasing ISIL propaganda, relevant frameworks should be considered in which influential religious and youth leaders can play a key role. More must also be done to address the root causes conducive to the spread of violent extremism, including elaborating relevant policies aimed at social and economic development, fostering education and youth employment, women's empowerment and inclusive national ownership. Georgia has taken steps towards fuller integration of certain vulnerable communities into society, with the participation of civil society and advocacy groups. It should be emphasized that criminal prosecution without a proper resocialization strategy It should be emphasized that criminal prosecution without a proper resocialization strategy can only further aggravate radicalization.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  7. “Conflicts in Syria and Iraq have prompted violent extremists to travel to those countries from all over the world. The citizens of Georgia are also targeted for recruitment to serve the interest of terrorist organizations in territories controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In a technological age, recruitment no longer requires face-to-face communication. ISIL terrorists are using modern, encrypted networks, and for law-enforcement agencies that poses a huge obstacle in the process of combating terrorism. No single State can have full access to the relevant data. T counter those challenges, Georgia has significantly streamlined its procedures for intelligence-sharing, and our special agencies have demonstrated good practices in successful international cooperation.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  8. “At the outset, let me express our gratitude to the Chinese presidency for convening today's meeting. Georgia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union. In addition, I would like to make some comments in my national capacity. The violence and brutality inflicted by terrorism on humanity is of grave concern. Egregious attacks on innocent civilians in different parts of the world make it obvious that terrorism, one of the most pressing challenges for the contemporary world, has become transnational and cross-border in nature. The situation in the Middle East overtly demonstrates how inhumanely terrorists can abuse the opportunities opened by modernity, modern technologies and growing globalization.”

    2016-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7670Resumption1 (2016) · source

  9. “Effective control is exercised by Russia, which signed agreements with those regimes that it itself established on Georgian soil. Those agreements envisage full integration. This is akin to annexation, nothing less than annexation. Georgia stands for a full, peaceful negotiated settlement of the conflict between Georgia and Russia. But we would reiterate once again that, in order to materialize that settlement, Russia has to comply with the agreement it signed with us in August 2008. That agreement excludes any unauthorized military force on Georgian soil. Once again, we call on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under that and other international agreements and to withdraw all its occupying forces from Georgian soil. I apologize for the lengthy statement, but I think matters have to be clarified from time to time.”

    2015-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533Resumption1 (2015) · source

  10. “It is not only officials who have Russian passports, it is ethnic Russians who run those territories of Georgia - 20 per cent of Georgian territory. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Georgians, citizens of Georgia, have been displaced, have been ethnically cleansed, from those territories. The Russian military has been an instrument behind that displacement. Of course, we are open to all kinds of discussions. We are open to different forums - Geneva, Tbilisi, New York or other places. At the same time, what we request and what we require from the Russian Federation is to allow the return of the ethnically cleansed population. Again, we are talking about the majority of the pre-war population of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. We are unable to exercise State control on that 20 per cent of our territory for the reasons just cited.”

    2015-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533Resumption1 (2015) · source

  11. “I thank you, Mr. President, for allowing us to take the floor a second time in response to the statement that was just made by the representative of the Russian Federation. There is a lot of irony to what the representative of the Russian Federation has just said. The point is that Georgia is a democratic country, an open society with a Government whose leadership changes every term through a democratic process. We have hundreds and hundreds of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We have international NGOs operating in Georgia. The Georgian Government and the Georgian State encourage support to those NGOs. We are now talking about the proposal of the Russian Federation, which is not an open society nor a democratic State, and which, in addition to that, exercises effective control over the occupied Georgian territories.”

    2015-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533Resumption1 (2015) · source

  12. “Let me also go into more detail about the rights of children under Russian occupation. The Georgian children living under Russian occupation are being prevented from exercising their fundamental rights. In particular, a Russian curriculum is being imposed on the Georgian schools in the occupied territories. Teachers are promised a salary only if they teach according to a curriculum approved by the Russian State. Teachers that disobey the foreign directives and instruct their The President: There are no more names inscribed students in Georgian are subjected to harassment and on the list of speakers. prosecution by the occupation regime. That is the reality on the ground 7 at least part ofthe reality. The meeting rose at 7'35 p.m.”

    2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source

  13. “I thank the President for allowing my delegation to take the floor for a second time. I am responding to the statement by the Russian Federation, in particular the part of the statement regarding Georgia. I want to repeat the words just spoken by my Ukrainian colleague. Russia just has to do one thing, namely, get out of Georgia and Ukraine. If it leaves our territories, then everything will be fine. As for the so-called normalization of relations with the occupation regime that Russia established on Georgian soil in 2008, Russia engaged in a war of aggression against Georgia - the same type of war that we now see in Ukraine. After the war of aggression, Russia established an occupation regime. So how can we normalize relations with a regime that is part of a bigger problem, namely, the Russian Federation itself?”

    2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source

  14. “At the same, more has to be done at national and international levels to address the root causes conducive to the spread of Violent extremism, including policies aimed at social and economic development, and fostering education and youth employment, as well as their political empowerment. The participation ofthird-country citizens as foreign terrorist fighters in ISIL and other terrorist groups is a matter of serious concern. Addressing this problem, especially taking into account its transnational and cross-border nature, requires coordinated approaches. We stand ready to work closely with our international partners in countering the global problems posed by foreign terrorist fighters by better coordinating our efforts, as well as exchanging experience and good practices.”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  15. “At the national level, Georgia, which has historically been an example of ethnic and religious tolerance, is working on modifying a domestic policy aimed at countering the rising global threat of extremism and terrorism. My Government has already initiated the relevant legislative amendments, whose adoption aims at bringing the criminal code of Georgia in line with the best international practices. It is of special importance that, inter alia, the amendments will criminalize the whole spectrum of activities related to foreign terrorist fighters, in accordance with resolution 2178 (2014).”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  16. “Georgia condemns in the strongest terms the despicable acts of terrorism and violence against civilian populations on the basis of their religious and ethnic affiliation. Terrorist groups such as the Islamic State ofIraq and the Levant (ISIL) pose threats not only to the nations of the Middle East but also to Europe, North America and beyond. It is only through our joint efforts and commitment that we can stop, reverse and prevent such violent actions from happening. We fully support international cooperative efforts to counter ISIL. Georgia has already joined three counter-ISIL working groups on counter-financing, counter-messaging and foreign terrorist fighters. We hope that the work of those groups will further increase the level of coordination and dialogue among coalition members.”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  17. “That worrisome pattern of arbitrarily altering international borders by force poses a significant threat not only to the strategic Vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace, but also to the notion of amicable relations among young men and women of all countries of our region. When State-run mass media, especially television, encourage extreme forms of nationalism and Violent ideology and try to justify on chauvinistic grounds the grabbing and annexing of foreign lands, youth radicalization becomes a common phenomenon. With regard to the Middle East, we are deeply shocked and distressed by the violent developments and rapid deterioration of the security situation in parts of Iraq and Syria.”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  18. “Georgia believes that utter disrespect for the fundamental principles of international law and for human rights and basic freedoms in domestic affairs have significantly contributed to the dangerous erosion of trust among nations and peoples, which has in turn played a pivotal role in all recent manifestations of violent extremism and the radicalization of youth in certain parts of the world. For instance, European security is being significantly challenged by the Russian Federation's aggressive behaviour towards its neighbours, especially Georgia and Ukraine, through the ongoing illegal military occupation of integral parts of our sovereign territories.”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  19. “We are also convinced that it is time for the international community to stand firmly for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and underline the importance of respect for international law for the sake of peace and stability in the world. Georgia fully associates itself with the statement made by the Head of the Delegation of the European Union. In addition, I would like to make some comments in my national capacity. The latest developments in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe have clearly demonstrated that we cannot take our security for granted, and in today's uncertain world, all like-minded countries must stand united to protect and promote peace, stability and a rules- based world order.”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  20. “At the outset, let me express our heartfelt gratitude to the presidency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for organizing today's open debate and, personally, to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II for his leadership, which has significantly contributed to the constructive and comprehensive nature of our deliberations today. Georgia fully supports and shares the vision, approaches and conclusions outlined in the concept paper (S/2015/215, annex) disseminated earlier by the Permanent Mission of Jordan, and calls on all stakeholders to play a more vigorous role in our joint efforts aimed at countering violent extremism.”

    2015-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7432 (2015) · source

  21. “I only offered the experience of my country as a case study to provide lessons learned so that the international community can draw appropriate lessons for its future work from the difficulties and tragedies we have endured. We believe that is what we should be debating and reflecting upon.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  22. “I thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me to take the floor for a second time this afternoon. I am making this statement in response to the statement just made by the representative of the Russian Federation. The day is coming to an end and it really does not give me any pleasure to engage in a discussion that drags us far away from the topic of today's debate. Unfortunately, instead of contributing to a meaningful discussion, Russia yet again tried to put forward a misleading interpretation of the facts that on numerous occasions have been reflected in relevant documents adopted by various international and regional organizations, including the Security Council.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  23. “A relevant toolkit should be developed at all levels to respond when early warning mechanisms for conflict prevention and crisis management are triggered. The timely use and implementation of such mechanisms can largely facilitate the peace process. The foregoing are some of the lessons the international community could learn from our case. We fully realize that long-term conflict resolution is a comprehensive process that requires political will and dedicated effort on behalf of all parties. Georgia remains committed to that goal. Obviously, we all need to redouble our efforts to embrace the best practices that can guide us as we strive to achieve lasting peace and sustainable security. In that context, we also welcome the Jordanian initiative to mandate a United Nations historical advisory team.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  24. “Secondly, let me stress the importance of an efficient negotiating format. It took more than a decade and, unfortunately, a full-scale war for the wider international community to engage and set up a truly international negotiating format in which a deal could be honestly brokered. Today, Georgia and Russia are participating in the Geneva international discussions, mediated by the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union. The war could have been avoided had such a mechanism existed earlier. Maintaining those negotiations, together with operational mechanisms, is vital to creating an environment conducive to long- term conflict settlement. Thirdly, I would like to highlight the importance of the timely engagement of international and regional organizations.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  25. “In spring 2009, the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia was vetoed by a Security Council member, notwithstanding the fact that the host nation, Georgia, and the entire international community, pleaded for its extension. Thus, in 2009 a dangerous precedent in the history of the United Nations was set when a 15 year-old mission was terminated by the veto ofjust one member of the Security Council. Today, as the years have passed and we see the void where no one is allowed to monitor the violations of human rights, we believe that there is even greater need for all of us to embark on a wider discussion of the appropriateness of exercising the right of veto with regard to conflict-affected areas so that cases like Georgia's can be avoided in the future.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  26. “Without going into further details of a long chain of events pertaining to the matters mentioned previously, let me draw the Council's attention to some of the lessons learned from our experience. First, peacekeeper impartiality is key to solving conflicts like ours. In Georgia's case, for 15 years peacekeeping functions were exercised by a State that not only had a vested interest in maintaining the conflict but in fact was also the party to it. Eventually, that lead to a preposterous development when, in the aftermath of a full-scale war, the United Nations left the conflict- affected area at a time when its presence was needed most.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  27. “As of today, the total length of barbed wire along the Tskhinvali occupation line has reached 50 kilometres, and the installation process is ongoing. Very recently, in the run-up to the Olympics, the Russian Federation expanded the so-called security zone 11 kilometres deeper into Georgia's sovereign territory, south of the Psou River where the international border between Georgia and Russia lies, in violation of international law and the provisions of the August 2008 ceasefire agreement. The Games were further politicized through the promotion of the so-called independent status of Abkhazia, when the Russian transport authorities granted permits to 500 "Abkhazian" vehicles, implying thereby the independent status of that occupied region of Georgia.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  28. “To that end, allow me first to share with the Council the experience from the conflict in my country, Georgia, which has been subject to aggression and, as a result, waves of refugees and internally displaced persons, totalling over 400,000 in 2008, when the full- scale war was followed by the occupation of 20 per cent of my nation. The ceasefire agreement brokered by the European Union in August 2008 remains unimplemented today, as international monitors are not given access to the occupied territories; hence, the war-divided communities there are denied basic human rights and freedoms. Since January 2013, Russian occupation forces have begun large-scale installation of barbed wire and fences along the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region of my country.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source

  29. “At the outset, I would like to express our appreciation to the presidency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for organizing today's open debate and for the concept paper (S/2014/30, annex), which provides us with insights into the United Nations experience when it comes to meaningful reconciliation and the strengthening of peace. Today, we should reflect not only on the achievements of the United Nations since its inception, but even more on the shortcomings, as they are the true lessons that need to be learned. Every particular case of war has its own peculiarities, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Nevertheless, they share some common features that we need to identify, analyse and use in our approach.”

    2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source