The UN General Assembly once again adopted a resolution recognizing the right of all refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia has been presenting this resolution at the UN General Assembly since May 2008.

The resolution "On the Status of Forcibly Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali Region / South Ossetia, Georgia" condemns the violent change in the demographic situation, recognizes the right to return of all forcibly displaced persons and refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to their homes throughout Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and stresses the need to respect and protect their property rights.

According to the Georgian Ambassador to the UN Kakha Imnadze, 54 states of the world were co-authors of the resolution in 2020.

This year the document was supported by 84 countries, including Azerbaijan. 13 states opposed (Russia, Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, North Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Philippines, Sudan, Syria, Vietnam, Zimbabwe), 73 abstained.

It is interesting that the representative of Armenia, like last year, was not present during the voting. However, if we consider that before that, from year to year, Armenia voted against the return of Georgian refugees to their homes, its position is obvious.

The Yerevan regime, which in fact supports separatism and the occupation of Georgian territories, as well as ethnic cleansing through the separatist regimes in Sukhumi and Tskhinvali, which recognized the "independence" of the separatist regimes in Sukhumi and Tskhinvali, is categorically opposed to the restoration of the territorial integrity of Georgia and the return of refugees.

Let us recall the history of the UN voting on the return of Georgian refugees:

1. In 2008, the resolution on the return of Georgian refugees (that year - only to Abkhazia, since the voting was held before the August 2008 conflict) was supported by only 14 countries, 11 states voted against, including Armenia, and 105 abstained;

2. In 2009, 48 countries voted for the adoption of the resolution on the return of refugees, against 19, including Armenia; abstained - 78;

3. In 2010, the number of supporters of the resolution increased to 50, 17 countries opposed the return of Georgian refugees, including Armenia; 86 states abstained;

4. In 2011, 57 countries voted in favor of the return of refugees, 13 countries opposed, including Armenia, and 74 states abstained;

5. In 2012, 60 countries voted for the return of Georgian refugees to the occupied territories. 15 states including Armenia were against, and 82 countries abstained;

6. In 2013, 62 countries voted in support of the resolution on the return of Georgian refugees. 16 countries were against, including Armenia, 84 countries abstained;

7. In 2014, 69 countries voted for the resolution on the return of Georgian refugees, 13 countries, including Armenia, were against and 79 countries abstained;

8. In 2015, 75 countries supported the resolution. 16 states, including Armenia, abstained from the return of Georgian refugees; 78 abstained;

9. In 2016, 76 UN member states voted for the resolution on the return of Georgian refugees, against 15 including Armenia, abstained - 64.

10. In 2017, 80 UN member states supported the resolution on the return of Georgian refugees to the occupied territories, 14 were against, including Armenia, 61 states abstained.

11. In 2018, the resolution “On the status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region / so-called. South Ossetia, Georgia ”was supported by 81 countries. Against - 16 countries including Armenia. 62 countries abstained. It is interesting that this vote has already taken place after the "revolution" in Armenia and Nikol Pashinin's coming to power. In other words, the power in Yerevan can change - but the hostility of the Armenian state towards Georgia remains.

12. In 2019, 79 countries supported the resolution. 15 states opposed. But this time the Armenian delegation acted "cunningly" - it simply did not appear at the vote. Those. Nikol Pashinyan, as it were, signaled to Moscow that he was “traditionally against” the return of Georgian refugees and decided once again not to remind Georgia of Armenia’s hostile position in relation to the Georgian statehood and the Georgian people.

As we can see this year, Pashinyan decided to repeat this "trick" - and please Moscow and support the separatists and not arrange an open anti-Georgian demarche. However, if we consider that Armenia's support for separatism in Samtskhe-Javkheti has only increased, and in Abkhazia, the Armenian lobby is pressing non-separatists with the demand to allow Armenians who do not have separatist citizenship to acquire land and real estate, it is obvious that Armenian nationalists are still categorically against the return of Georgian refugees, whose houses and land they "looked after themselves" for a long time.

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