Georgia, Tbilisi, Sept.23 / Trend, N. Kirtskhalia /
The collapse of the Soviet Union did not result in the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in his speech at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly.
"Twenty years ago the Soviet Union collapsed, freeing enslaved nations and oppressed peoples - realizing the dream of millions - ending decades of cold war and an apocalyptic nuclear arms race - heralding a new era in international relations," Saakashvili said.
He said, however, that problems remained. The attacks on New York and Washington were not targeted at a country, but at a set of values and lifestyles. The targets were democracy, freedom of people, and the civilization which they embody, he said.
"And 10 years later the uprising in the Arab world offered us further evidence that there is no end to history, no clash of civilizations. Instead, a universal call for freedom is growing even in places where some doubted its possibility. Nevertheless, monstrous efforts are made to suppress it," Saakashvili said.
Throughout the world, tyrants fear that one day they may be blamed and liable for their crimes, he said.
Saakashvili stressed that it is time to recognize that the world has changed; that the army, however powerful it may seem, ultimately cannot deny the people's will, and that government, however powerful it may seem, cannot unilaterally dismember sovereign states. [It is time to recognize] that we are not living in 1938 or even 1968, but rather in 2011.
"To the last who still view enlargement of the EU and NATO as a threat, I would like to say that the Cold War ended in December 1991 - that there should be no need to fear democratic neighbors wishing to join the EU and NATO. There is no hidden agenda or conspiracy in Washington or Brussels threatening to undermine their sovereignty," Saakashvili said.
"This is the reason for our existence as the United Nations, is not it? To make the world a little bit better, to finally fulfill the rules, regulations, laws and principles that we all agreed on," Saakashvili said.