UN General Assembly
2001

Georgia. It is time to put an end to the spiritual and physical suffering of the people of Georgian, Abkhaz and other nationalities who have been forced from their homes and lands by the tragedy of war. Most importantly, we cannot instil hatred and enmity in the coming generations. The value of peace in the region is too high to be sacrificed to the political and commercial ambitions of a single group. The time has come to react duly to the ethnic cleansing carried out in Abkhazia, Georgia. The separatists, with the help of outside forces, expelled about 300,000 people from their places of residence. The inalienable right of people to live in their homeland is still being flagrantly trampled. On numerous occasions Georgia has expressed its deep concern about the presence of uncontrolled regions within the territories of the sovereign State, ruled by de facto separatist regimes. The encouragement of these regimes is totally unacceptable and fraught with dangerous consequences. The tragic downing of a United Nations helicopter over Abkhazia, Georgia, is one such heartbreaking example. I wish to