President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili condemned the so-called 'presidential elections' in the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia in a statement on Monday, stating the Georgian government was joined by its international partners in not accepting the vote.
Zurabishvili reacted to the de-facto election, held in the north-western region on Sunday and denounced by the Georgian foreign ministry and 15 of Georgia's partner countries.
No government of Georgia — present or future — will accept [the elections] until the violated territorial integrity of the unified state of Georgia is restored," Zurabishvili's statement read.
The president's comments also underlined international support for Georgia's territorial integrity and the violation of international law by Russia in 2008 with its recognition of independence of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), the two regions currently occupied by Russian military.
Zurabishvili also spoke about ethnic Abkhazians and Ossetians in her reaction to Sunday's development, noting the cultural identity of the populations was under threat in the realm of the Russian occupation.
Due to the policy of Russification today, Abkhazian and Ossetian culture, language and identity in general are under greater threat, being on the verge of disappearing. Our joint history is a testament to the fact that without Georgians, national distinctiveness of Abkhazians and Ossetians cannot be saved," the president said.
Social and economic circumstances of the Abkhazian and Ossetian populations were also a point referred to in the statement, with Zurabishvili highlighting the Georgian government doing the "utmost within its ability" to solve their issues in "humanitarian, medical, educational and business interests".
In the official reaction to the de-facto elections, the president expressed her confidence in a prospect of seeing "Abkhazia and South Ossetia return peacefully" to the unified state sphere of Georgia.
Zurabishvili said she would be a "guarantor" of "dignified life, free choice and freedom of speech" for citizens from all ethnic groups in the two regions in the case of a restoration of territorial integrity of Georgia.