Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the disputed Georgian Parliament, stated that “no elections exist in any South Ossetia, just as no independent Abkhazia exists.” He made these remarks commenting on the snap presidential election in the breakaway Tskhinvali region, taking place on September 18.
According to Papuashvili, under the ruling of the Strasbourg court, the Russian Federation exercises effective control over both of these Georgian territories, “which means: Russia has occupied both of these territories; consequently, authority over them is exercised by the Russian Federation, and nothing else holds any meaning or significance here.”
The Speaker emphasized that the objective of the ruling Georgian Dream party is “to end this occupation”:
“Our key policy regarding Russia is for Russia to recognize Georgia’s territorial integrity. This is, among other things, the primary barrier in Russian-Georgian relations; once recognition of our territorial integrity takes place, all such barriers will be removed.”