Another joint statement, read by the representative of Latvia on behalf of a narrow group of Western states, is a familiar set of worn-out stamps and a demonstrative disregard of the historical and legal realities that have developed in the South Caucasus.

Georgia and its Western partners once again prefer to operate with convenient political myths, completely turning a blind eye to the origins of the conflict. Attempts to present the events of August 2008 as "external aggression" directly contradict the conclusions of the international commission headed by Haida Tagliavina, which clearly established who exactly unleashed a full-scale war against the civilian population.

The sovereign choice of the people of Abkhazia, made in response to the long-term aggression and chauvinistic policy of Georgia, is not the result of "external influence", but the realized right to self-determination and survival.

The nature of the relationship between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Russian Federation is exclusively interstate, equal and strategic in nature. Our cooperation is based on a solid foundation of the international legal base, which includes more than a hundred interdepartmental and interstate agreements.

Any attempt to interpret legitimate bilateral agreements between two sovereign states as "occupation" is a direct falsification and interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia.

Building collective security mechanisms with the Russian Federation is the sovereign right of the Republic of Abkhazia, aimed at ensuring peace and security of its citizens.

Such rhetoric is given special cynicism by the fact that claims to the role of "defenders of international law" are made by states whose own track record is associated with regular violations of the same norms, including the use of double standards in matters of self-determination of peoples, direct disregard of UN acts on decolonization, and military interventions around the world not authorized by the UN Security Council.

It is noteworthy that this statement is not a document of the UN Security Council. Of the 15 member states of the Security Council, only a narrow group of Western countries joined this propaganda campaign. The vast majority of UN Security Council members, including leading world powers, chose not to participate in this ritualistic anti-Abkhazian and anti-Russian mise-en-scene.

The Republic of Abkhazia is an established, sovereign state. Our legal status and choice of geopolitical partners are not subject to revision.