On 12 March 2017, the so-called parliamentary elections are being held in occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia. This act represents yet another attempt of legitimization of consequences of several waves of ethnic cleansing, military invasion, occupation and lasting aggression by Russia against the Georgian statehood. Hence, according to the international law, any so-called elections or referendum in the occupied territories of Georgia are illegal and cannot have any legal effect.

The so-called elections take place in the context when the Russian Federation does not comply with its obligations under the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and in parallel with intensified military build-up continues the factual annexation of Georgia’s occupied regions through their integration into Russia’s military, political, economic and social system. At the same time, people displaced from Georgia"s occupied territories are deprived of the right to return to the places of their residence whereas the population remaining in these regions suffer ethnic discrimination and gross violations of basic rights and freedoms. Against this background, international security and human rights mechanisms, including representatives of the EU Monitoring Mission are denied access to occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia appeals to the international community to give a due assessment to the illegal so-called parliamentary elections and calls upon the Russian Federation to respect the fundamental norms and principles of international law.