The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia refers to the so-called parliamentary elections in the occupied Abkhazia region taking place on 12 March 2022 as an illegal action blatantly violating Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
These so-called elections fully contradict the fundamental norms and principles of international law and represent yet another futile attempt to legitimize the ongoing illegal occupation of the two regions being integral parts of Georgia. While hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees are expelled from the Abkhazia region as a result of ethnic cleansing and the Russian occupying power exercises an effective control on the ground, these so-called elections cannot have any legal effect.
The foregoing is further affirmed by the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights holding the Russian Federation as an occupying country exercising an effective control over Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions responsible for the breach of the fundamental norms of international law on the ground.
It is concerning that while the international community firmly supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, the Russian Federation continues actual annexation of Georgia’s occupied territories through their integration into Russia’s military, political, economic and social system. What adds further to the already difficult situation is the gross violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the population on the ground and discrimination of Georgians on ethnic lines. Even more alarming, against such background, is the fact that the international human rights and security mechanisms, as well as the EU Monitoring Mission are deprived of access to the occupied regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Russian Federation to respect its international obligations, to comply with the EU- brokered ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008 and reverse its illegal decision on recognition of the so-called independence of the occupied territories.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeals to the international community to duly assess and take effective action on this yet another illegal step aimed at violating Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
