Foreign office condemns illegal holding of Russian presidential elections in Georgia’s occupied regions

The Georgian foreign office on Monday condemned illegal holding of Russian presidential elections in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions of the country.

In the statement, the Ministry called on Russia to “stop actions against sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Georgia and fulfil its international obligations under the 2008 ceasefire that ended that year’s war between the two countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemns the holding of the presidential elections of the Russian Federation in the occupied regions of Georgia and the illegal opening of polling stations in order to massively involve the local population in it”, the Ministry said.

The foreign office stressed the development represented a “step against” the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, a “gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international law”, while also “completely ignoring” the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

Holding any elections in the occupied regions is illegal in the context of the occupation, as established by international courts, among others, and [when held] in conditions where the population expelled from the occupied territories as a result of ethnic cleansing is still not given the opportunity to return to their homes”, the statement noted.

The body also appealed to the international community to “give a proper assessment” and respond to “other illegal actions” of Russia in the occupied regions, which it said were “aimed at encroaching on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia”.

Governments of Sweden, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Austria, as well as James O'Brien, the Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, condemned the illegal holding of the Russian presidential elections in Georgia’s occupied regions and occupied territories of Moldova and Ukraine between Friday and Sunday.