Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins expresses regret about non-extension of UN Observer Mission mandate in Georgia

"I note with regret that on Monday, 15 June, the member countries of the UN Security Council failed to reach an agreement on an extension of the mandate for the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), after the Russian Federation used its veto right," says Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins.

"Considering that the UN Observer Mission in Georgia, after the non-extension of the mandate for the OSCE mission to Georgia, remained in fact the only independent international mission which was guaranteed access to a separatist region of Georgia, its termination will considerably reduce the possibilities for the international community to obtain information on processes in those territories as well as to provide purposeful support in seeking peaceful solutions to the conflicts," Foreign Minister Riekstins also indicates.

At the same time, Minister Riekstins reaffirms Latvia's strong support to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders. Mr Riekstins also points out that under the conditions when the opportunities for the international community to oversee the security and humanitarian situation have been considerably restricted, even more sensitive has become the issue of securing access by the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia to the country's separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The UN observer mission in Georgia was operating since 1993 and had a significant role in the monitoring of security situation in Georgia's breakaway region, Abkhazia, and in the facilitation of a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

On 15 June in New York, the UN Security Council voted on the resolution which envisaged the extension of the mandate for the UN Observer Mission in Georgia. However, due to the Russian Federation's negative vote, the UN Security Council failed to reach the agreement on extending the UNOMIG mandate. Thus the UN Observer Mission in Georgia was forced to cease its operations by 16 June this year.

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