Tbilisi not recognises referendum in Crimea
By Jamila Babayeva
Georgia does not recognize the referendum conducted in Crimea on March 16 amid pressure from Russian armed forces, in defiance of the universally recognized norms and principles of International Law, with complete disregard for the Ukrainian national laws, the foreign ministry reported.
"Russia's attempt to annex Crimea represents a blatant violation of the commitments it has undertaken both under multilateral and bilateral agreements," the statement said.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry unequivocally reaffirms its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and calls upon the international community to consolidate efforts to make the Russian Federation order its troops back to base, to immediately de-escalate the situation in Crimea as well as in other regions of Ukraine, to enter into direct talks with the Ukrainian Authorities and to co-operate with the international community in order to find ways to deal with the existing situation.
On February 26 several thousand people gathered in front of Supreme Council of Crimea. After the escalation of the protests in Crimea, the Federation Council supported Russian President Vladimir Putin's appeal regarding the use of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine pending "the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country".
The Crimean parliament made a decision on joining Russia on March 6. The deputies also voted for the referendum on the status of the peninsula on March 16.
Upon the results of processing of 75 percent protocols from the polling stations after referendum on the future of Crimea, the percentage of voters who supported Crimea's reunification with Russia stands at 95.7%.