2021-08-23
Dear President Zelensky,
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends,
I want to thank President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for making this event possible in times of the global pandemic.
Creation of the Crimean Platform is a window of opportunity to speak out of the atrocities that the occupation forces have been committing against our people. And we must remind to the world that Crimea is Ukraine.
Ukraine and Georgia have a long history of friendship standing shoulder-to-shoulder in times of peace and war. Our will to fight for freedom against the common foe and our pursuit for core values of liberty and democracy have always made us stronger against any other force that has attempted to disrupt our unity.
The Ukrainians fought Russian aggressors alongside the Georgians during the armed hostilities inspired and participated by Russia back in 1990s. Leonid Tkachuk, whose remains were recovered and handed over to his family just several days ago by my government is a symbol of Ukrainians who bravely fought and fell for the independence of Georgia. His sacrifice was honoured by Georgians awarding him with state decoration posthumously.
Thirteen years ago the Russian Federation launched a large scale military attack against Georgia killing hundreds of civilians and militaries, burning and destroying to ashes dozens of Georgian villages, starting another wave of ethnic cleansing which caused hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians to flee from their homes, and subsequently occupying two indivisible Georgian regions by Russia. This move shattered the entire European security and the rules-based international order. Later in 2014 Ukraine shared the same fate.
We witness Russia's deliberate policy, directed at undermining the peace processes, destabilizing the security situation on the ground, hardening the burden of conflict-affected people and all this while disregarding its international commitments, most importantly EU mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire agreement.
Unresolved conflicts create a gloomy picture for the regional countries and undermine the whole European and Euro-Atlantic security. With joint efforts along with our partners, we should take a stronger stance against the illegal occupation and creeping annexation.
Without resolving the conflicts in the region, the West is bound to come face-to-face with ever-increasing sources of destabilization. Despite the existing security threats Georgia and Ukraine continue to aspire for the European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
Georgia is committed to peaceful conflict-resolution and we are determined to further define a broader and proactive vision for peaceful resolution. We have assumed this responsibility towards our people and we are very persistent on this path. In parallel, we are pursuing unequivocal consolidation of democratic reforms, sustainable economic development, along with the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. No matter how hard our opponents try to hinder our development, we continue to push harder. We have been tested many times throughout our history, but have never cracked against the challenge.
In this light, we hope that Crimean Platform will become an important stage supported by our international partners which will have far-reaching impact against existent challenges in the Black Sea region.
Finally, with joint efforts and strategic approach, we will be able to shape Black Sea region into the area of opportunities, where economies thrive and people prosper.
Thank you!