UN Security Council Members Condemn Russia's Continued Occupation of Georgian Regions
By Messenger Staff
Monday, August 24, 2026
Several UN Security Council members on August 20 condemned Russia's continued occupation of Georgia's Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, 18 years after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
The council held a closed meeting on the conflict, with UN Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari briefing members on developments and the Geneva International Discussions.
Latvia, Denmark, France, Greece and the United Kingdom, along with incoming council members Austria and Portugal, issued a joint statement after the meeting.
"The Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008 demonstrated the start of Russia's more aggressive stance towards its neighbors," Latvia's deputy UN ambassador Olegs Ilgis said, linking the conflict to Russia's later aggression against Ukraine.
The countries reaffirmed their support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemned Russia's military presence and what they described as steps toward annexation of the two regions.
They also criticized restrictions on movement, detentions and abductions, discrimination against ethnic Georgians, restrictions on Georgian-language education and damage to cultural heritage. The statement condemned the killing of Georgian citizens and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
The countries cited European Court of Human Rights rulings finding Russia responsible for human rights violations in the occupied territories and urged Moscow to comply with them. They also referred to International Criminal Court arrest warrants over alleged war crimes against Georgian civilians.
The signatories called on Russia to implement the EU-mediated 2008 ceasefire agreement, withdraw its forces from Georgia and allow international monitors and humanitarian organizations access to the occupied regions.
They reaffirmed support for the Geneva International Discussions and the EU Monitoring Mission, while calling for the resumption of the Gali Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, suspended since 2018.
The countries also welcomed Nauru's withdrawal of recognition of Abkhazia and "South Ossetia" and urged other states to follow suit.
"We stress the necessity of a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict based on international law," Ilgis said.
