Georgian Parliament Speaker: Russia’s recognition of Georgia’s territorial integrity key to relations

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Friday that there were no elections in what he described as “occupied South Ossetia”, stressing that Russia exercised effective control over both Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region and that Georgia’s main objective was to end the occupation.

Papuashvili made the remarks in response to a journalist’s question about why the Georgian Government had not issued an official position on the so-called elections being held in the occupied Tskhinvali region.

“There are no elections in any so-called occupied South Ossetia, just as there is no such thing as South Ossetia, an independent Abkhazia, and so on. The Georgian Dream proved in proceedings before the Strasbourg Court that Russia exercises effective control over both territories, which means that Russia has both territories under occupation. Accordingly, the Russian Federation exercises authority over both territories. Nothing else has any substantive meaning in this regard”, Papuashvili said.

He said that discussing whether the so-called elections were taking place would inevitably raise questions about their legitimacy.

“Our task is to end this occupation. Our main policy toward Russia is for Russia to recognise Georgia’s territorial integrity. This is also the main obstacle in relations between Russia and Georgia. Once our territorial integrity is recognised, all these obstacles will be removed”, Papuashvili noted.

So-called early presidential elections are currently being held in Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali region.