UN Human Rights Council 41st Session
Item 10 – General Debate
10 July 2019
Intervention by ESTONIA
Mr President,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union.
We highly appreciate the valuable work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the OHCHR in the field of technical cooperation and capacity building.
Estonia would like to draw the attention to the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in the occupied territories of Georgia. We regret that over the years sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia has been constantly challenged. The Russian Federation continues to violate the commitments made in the Six-point agreement of 12 August 2008 and the implementing measures of 8 September 2008. Estonia strongly condemns the so-called parliamentary elections in the occupied South Ossetia region of Georgia that took place on 9 June. They are illegal and we do not recognize the outcome of these elections. Such actions undermine efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict and therefore endanger security and stability in the region. Instead, all efforts should focus on Geneva International Discussions – the only negotiation tool in hand to achieve peace based on fundamental norms and principles of international law.
We regret that there is no progression in granting OHCHR and other international humanitarian and human rights organizations unhindered access to South Ossetia and Abkhazia as adopted with the HRC resolution 37/40. We once more call the authorities de facto in control in the occupied areas to honour the international human rights law.
Thank you!