The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia released a statement condemning the so-called presidential elections held on 10 April, in the occupied Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia as yet another illegal act of the Russian Federation directed against Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in complete contradiction with the norms and principles of international law.
As the statement notes, such provocative actions are aimed to legitimize the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians. Given the illegal occupation of Georgia’s two regions and the occupying power exercising effective control on the ground, the so-called elections cannot have any legal effect. The so-called referendum on unification with Russia recently announced by the Tskhinvali occupation regime will likewise be null and void as another illegal step taken towards annexation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia calls on the Russian Federation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and to comply with its international obligations, including the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, and to reverse its illegal decision on recognition of so-called independence of the occupied regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeals to the international community to give a due assessment and take effective measures on the illegal step aimed to infringe on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
