For the first time, Armenia doesn't support Russia in the UN on issue of Georgian refugees

In the course of its 73rd session, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on the status of refugees from Abkhazia and South Ossetia and has affirmed their right to return to their homes located throughout Georgia. For the first time, Armenia did not take part in voting on the proposed resolution and abstained.

The UN General Assembly has reaffirmed the right of all internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to return to their homes throughout Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The Member States of the UN General Assembly have called for drafting a schedule to ensure the voluntary and safe return of all the IDPs and refugees, affected by conflicts in Georgia, to their homes, the UN official website reports.

The resolution was supported by 79 Member States, while 57 of them, including Armenia, abstained. Fifteen Member States, including Russia, Belarus, Cuba, the Comoros, North Korea, Nicaragua and others, spoke against the document.

Georgia has positively assessed the Armenia's abstaining from voting, Petre Mamradze, a former chief of staff of the President of Georgia, believes.

"Such solidarity was present in the 1990s, when Eduard Shevardnadze was President of Georgia. Those, who can't afford voting 'for', abstain from voting," the "Sputnik Armenia" quotes Mr Mamradze as saying.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 6, 2019 at 06:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.