Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili used the UN floor on Thursday to accuse Moscow of terrorism and reiterate the claims that Russia occupies Georgian territories.
Russia fought a five-day war with Georgia in 2008 after Tbilisi attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Moscow then recognized South Ossetia and another breakaway republic, Abkhazia, as independent states. The move was condemned by the West.
Saakashvili said that Georgia earlier pledged that it will “never use force to liberate its regions currently occupied by the Russian Federation,” and that it expects Moscow to respond in kind.
“Unfortunately, instead of dialogue, the response… has come in the form of a dozen terrorist acts targeting Georgia – attacks directly organized and supervised, as it is well confirmed by different international actors – by officers of the Russian secret services,” Saakashvili told the UN General Assembly.
He also said that Russia uses “embargo, blackmail and brutal dictates” against Ukraine, Moldova or Belarus.