Strasbourg, 16 March2022 - Reacting to recent so-called “parliamentary elections” held on 12 March 2022 in the Abkhazia region in Georgia, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Leendert Verbeek, made the following statement:

“By organising these “elections”, the so-called “de facto” authorities of Abkhazia, once again, undermined the principle of the territorial integrity of Georgia forcing this region further into isolation, to the detriment of the local population.

The Congress has always shown its unrelenting commitment to the territorial integrity of member States within its internationally recognised borders. This principle is all the more important in the current context of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Not only since 24 February we know that the illegal recognition of territories of other member States can be only one step ahead of further aggression and war.  This is the bitter lesson we have to learn, eventually.

Therefore, all sort of action undermining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a member State, is to be strongly condemned. The so-called “elections” organised in Abkhazia fall under this category and do not recognise the illegal occupation of Abkhazia by the Russian Federation. The “vote” organised in Abkhazia on 12 March, instead of strengthening, further erodes stability in this region and is, moreover, the wrong signal at the wrong time.”

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.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia prepared 2020 Compilation Report on the human rights violations in the Russia-occupied territories of Georgia, which is based on the documents adopted within the international organizations.
 
The Report covers the difficult human rights situation in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, including the facts of discrimination, violations of the right to life and health, right to native language education, illegal detentions, kidnappings.
 
The Report aims to update the international community on the human rights violations in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions.
 
2020 Compilation Report on the human rights violations in the Russia-occupied territories of Georgia was prepared in English and is available at the link below.

Approval of the programme on creation of common socio-economic space between the Russian Federation and the occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia represents another illegal step towards de-facto annexation that envisages gradual integration of Georgia’s indivisible regions into Russia’s military, political, economic and social systems.
 
The so-called “treaty on alliance and strategic partnership” concluded between the Russian Federation and its occupation regime in Sokhumi in November 2014 as well as all subsequent so-called “agreements”, “memoranda” or “programmes” are illegal and cannot have any legal effect. Through such provocative steps and hybrid warfare instruments, the Russian Federation blatantly violates the fundamental norms and principles of international law, undermines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, and poses a serious threat to peace and security on the European continent.
 
We call upon the Russian Federation to cease its destructive actions and illegal steps directed towards de-facto annexation of Georgia’s occupied territories, implement its obligations under the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, withdraw its military forces from Georgia’s territory and not to impede creation of international security mechanisms on the ground.
 

We are, however, confident that one day, after the end of the illegitimate regime in Syria, when the country embarks on the course of democratic development, this illegal decision too will be revised and Syria will return to the international legal framework, which is based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia refers to the conduct of the so-called presidential elections in occupied Abkhazia region, as another illegal act directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
 
While hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees are expelled from Abkhazia region as a result of ethnic cleansing, and the occupying power fully controls the situation on the ground, it is obvious that in such circumstances the so-called elections cannot have any legal effect, as they fully contradict the fundamental norms and principles of international law.
 
It is evident that the so-called presidential elections represent yet another futile attempt to legitimize the ethnic cleansing, the ongoing illegal occupation and steps towards factual annexation of Abkhazia region. The international community will never accept the attempt of forceful change of sovereign borders of Georgia, as well as other illegal steps of Russia in terms of erection of barbed wire fences along the occupation line, military build-up and grave violations of fundamental human rights on the ground.
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia calls on the Russian Federation to respect the undertaken international obligations, fulfil the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, and reverse its illegal decision on recognition of so-called independence of the occupied regions.
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia also appeals to the international community to give a due assessment and take effective measures to counter the illegal processes taking place in the occupied territories.

The “visit” by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in the occupied Abkhazia region represents a continuation of Moscow deliberate policy against Georgia. 

Such action at the 9th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war serves for legitimization of forceful change of borders of the sovereign state through military aggression, ethnic cleansing and occupation. By this step, the Kremlin tries in vain to support and legitimize its occupation regimes.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the “visit” of the Russian President to the occupied Abkhazia region in violation of the Georgian state border, which blatantly infringes the fundamental norms and principles of international law.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls upon the Russian Federation to cease its provocative actions against the Georgian statehood and respect the territorial integrity the sovereign state.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia appeals also to the international community to duly assess Moscow’s aggressive steps and take effective measures to ensure that the Russian Federation fulfills its international obligations, including the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement.