ÜRO Inimõiguste Nõukogu 36. sessioon
Intervention by ESTONIA
Item 10 – General Debate
Genf, 28september 2017
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Mr President,
Distinguished High Commissioner,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement delivered bythe European Union. We highly appreciate the valuable work of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the field of technical cooperation andcapacity building.
We thank the High Commissioner for his report on cooperationwith Georgia.
Estonia expresses deep concern over the humanitarianand human rights situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. We wouldlike to stress that while a peaceful solution to the conflict remains to befound, it is still crucial to guarantee fundamental freedoms and internationalhuman rights standards. We regret that the authorities de facto in control in the occupied areas have failed to respect rightto life, safety, dignity, freedom of movement and privacy.
We would like to ask the High Commissioner how doesthe so-called borderization – the setting up of razor wire and other forms offencing, watchtowers and other monitoring equipment by the Russian Federationborder guards – affect the enjoyment of human rights of the local inhabitants.
Finally, Estonia reaffirms its resolute support to thesovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationallyrecognized borders – Abkhazia and South Ossetia are integral parts of Georgia. Wealso join the UN Secretary-General and the OHCHR in their calls on the de facto authorities to grant OHCHR andother international humanitarian and human rights organizations unhinderedaccess to the mentioned territories.
Thankyou.