Baku not recognizing "parliamentary elections" in Georgia's Abkhazia
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijan does not recognize the so-called “parliamentary elections” in Georgia’s Abkhazia region, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported on March 14.
In a statement published on its website, the ministry said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan reaffirms its support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and does not recognize the so-called 'parliamentary elections' held in Abkhazia region of Georgia on March 12, 2022, as well as its results.”
According to the statement, the ministry believes that it is necessary to continue negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the Abkhazia issue in accordance with international law's norms and principles.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Abkhaz-Georgian ethnic conflict erupted in Georgia's Abkhazia region.
The conflict, one of the bloodiest in post-Soviet history, has yet to be resolved. The Georgian government has proposed significant autonomy for Abkhazia on several occasions. However, both the Abkhaz government and the Abkhazian opposition are opposed to any sort of union with Georgia. The Abkhaz regard their independence as the result of a liberation struggle against Georgia, whereas Georgians believe Abkhazia has always been a part of Georgia.
During the conflict, Abkhaz separatists conducted an ethnic cleansing campaign, displacing up to 250,000 people and killing over 5,000 ethnic Georgians.
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