NATO official condemns “elections” in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region

Javier Colomina, the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, on Monday condemned “parliamentary elections” held in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region last week.

In his social media post, Colomina said NATO “does not recognise the legitimacy of the elections” in the region.

The official noted the Alliance continued to support Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry last week condemned the holding of the “parliamentary elections” in the region as a “blatant violation” of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country within its internationally recognised borders.

The Ministry said “any so-called elections” held in the Russian-occupied regions were “illegal and cannot not have any legal effect as they contradict the fundamental principles and norms of international law”.