Despite enormous pressure and multiple threats from Moscow not a single former soviet republic has recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgian President Mikheil Saakshvili said, addressing the delegates of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Speaking about Russia’s actions, the President notes that it has been violating the ceasefire agreement for the two last years. “European Union monitors cannot enter Russian-occupied areas where a constant military buildup is taking place. Hundreds of thousands of IDPs victims of the ethnic cleansing campaign led by the Russian forces are still prevented from returning to their homes,” he stressed.

In his speech, Saakashvili called on the states that recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia to reverse their decision. “Imagine how uncomfortable these three isolated leaders from faraway countries will be when Moscow itself chooses to comply with international law and withdraw its troops?” he said.

He also addressed people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, inviting them to build “a multicultural and multiethnic society that would be a regional model for tolerance and respect.”

“I dream about the day when an Abkhaz or Ossetian citizen of Georgia - as it happened several times in our common history - will become President of a reunited democratic and European Georgia,” Saakashvili stressed. He also called on the Russia leadership to accept other countries as partners and not vassals.

Speaking of peace in the Caucasus, the Georgian leader emphasized that it is time to change mistakes that the Caucasian people made through history. “In the past, Georgian citizens were perceiving our border with the Ottoman Empire as an absolute threat. Today, we have passport free customs, joint airport and free trade with Turkey. Tomorrow, the citizens of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to cross our borders without passport,” Saakashvili stated.