Geneva, 7 October
Thank you, Madam President.
Latvia aligns with the statement delivered by the European Union.
We appreciate the work of the OHCHR in the field of technical assistance and capacity building across the globe, and welcome the support provided to the Government of Georgia to further improve the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
Latvia continues to be deeply worried about the persisting human rights violations in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, currently being outside of the effective control of the Georgian government.
We are disappointed that, despite continued calls by this Council and the OHCHR, the Office and other international and regional human rights mechanisms continue to face repeated denial of access to those regions. We reiterate our call on the authorities exercising effective control of both regions to grant immediate, unconditional and unimpeded access to all relevant human rights mechanisms.
In conclusion, I would like to express the unwavering support of the Government of Latvia to sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.
I thank you!