President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili

I am very delighted that Mr Kofi Annan coincided his visit to the Caucasus and to Georgia with the second anniversary of the Rose Revolution.

It is very important that Tbilisi has become well known to every government official.

Mr Annan will finish his Middle East trip, dedicated to very important problems, in Tbilisi.

We are expecting very serious and interesting visits on November 22 and 23.

We welcome the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and I would like to particularly stress the contribution of his special representative in Georgia to establishing peace.

Also I would like to state that we are totally upset with the existing situation in Abkhazia. In front of our eyes the property of 80 per cent of the legitimate population of Abkhazia (Georgians and other ethnic groups) are being sold out. People are kidnapped, tortured and killed there almost every day. The other party firmly opposes opening of a human rights office in order to control all these violations. In front of the eyes of the world a crime is being committed against humanity. More and more weapons enter the Abkhazian territory and full militarization of this region is underway.

Georgia favors peace, but Georgia will never tolerate such infringements on human rights.

The main lesson our revolution has taught us is to give freedom to every person, regardless of their ethnicity.

Therefore, I consider that we must give a chance to all regions, including South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In the end, I would like to express my hope that the UN will become more active in this respect and its member states will enable it to become more active.

I would like to thank the Secretary-General for coinciding his visit to Georgia with the second anniversary of the Rose Revolution. He congratulated us on this occasion today.

I would like to present you with a photo album of the Rose Revolution and a rose.

The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to be making my first trip to Georgia.

Even though I had not been here, I've been following the developments in your country for a very long time. My colleagues from the UN mission here have been trying for quite a while, working with the government and with the Abkhaz side, to find a solution to this conflict. We will sustain our efforts and work with the parties and other friendly countries in search of the solution.

In the meantime, it is important that all sides respect the rule of law and respect human rights and the dignity of individuals, because without the development for the rule of law and respect for the rule of law, it is difficult to settle these problems in the longer term.

I also had an opportunity to discuss the social and economic developments in the country with the president and I must say I am impressed with what you have done in a relatively short period.

I am grateful to the government and the people for having worked very cooperatively with my representative, Ms Tagliavini, who is my special representative, and the head of the UNDP office [Lance Clark], who has served here for four years and has just informed the president that he will be moving on next week.

I thank you both for the service and excellent work you have rendered here.

And finally, Mr. President and the people of Georgia, let me wish you luck and success as you press ahead to strengthen your institutions, develop economically and socially, and stabilize your society.

You can count on the United Nations in that effort.

Communications Office
of the President of Georgia