Topic: Situation in Georgia
Country: Costa Rica
Delegate Name: Mike Sadler
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Costa Rica position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
The situation that plagues the citizens of Georgia in the South Ossetian Region is very important to the United Nations (UN). Fighting erupted on August 7, 2008, when Russian forces invaded the militarized South Ossetia region. The Russian Federation claims that they were just respecting the rights of the Ossetians, who have extensive cultural ties to Russia. They also believe that the citizens from the South Ossetian region have a right to their own independence. However, the Georgian Government claims that Russia invaded their borders for no reason, and that they are capable of handling domestic issues. Regardless of which side is taken, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes, and unable to return. Their houses are often burned and looted. The Republic of Costa Rica feels, as stated in the UN Charter, that the most important problem that must be addressed is “Maintaining international peace and security” (UN Handbook 2).
The Republic of Costa Rica, as well as its international neighbors, are not directly affected by the Situation in Georgia. However, the region is committed to international peace and stability. With this said, Costa Rica believes that it is imperative that the Russian army continue to withdraw their army from Georgia as quickly as possible. Peaceful negotiations must take place as soon as possible so that fewer people are displaced from their homes and entangled in the conflict.
There have been no recent UN resolutions or proposals on the topic, simply because it happened so recently. Resolutions are extremely difficult to negotiate because of the large amount of power that Russia has in the international community. Although there are no recent resolutions, past resolutions hint at the UN’s position on the topic. Resolution 62/249 urges that the displaced citizens be allowed to return to their homes immediately. Costa Rica fully supports this resolution, and recognizes the importance of the problem at hand.
The Republic of Costa Rica strongly believes that all possible action needs to be taken to withdraw the remaining Russian forces and to return the displace people to their respective homes. We feel Russia must be reprimanded for their aggressive actions taken in Georgia on August 7, 2008. The two countries must peacefully negotiate a solution to the problem immediately before the situation worsens.
