President of CoE Congress Comments over Developments in Georgia’s Occupied Territories

"The territorial integrity of the state is a guarantee for the development of the regional dimension,” said the President of the Congress of the Council of Europe (CoE), Gudrun Mosler-Törnström while commenting on recent developments in Georgia’s occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"The de facto authorities of the Abkhazia region in Georgia have just organized elections. In the meantime, the self-proclaimed "President" of South Ossetia has announced that a referendum will be held in April on the name to be given to this region,” Gudrun Mosler-Törnström declared.

The President of the Congress of the CoE believes that these initiatives are illegal and will do nothing to help restore Georgia's legitimate sovereignty over these two regions, but will just contribute to further isolating these regions from the international community.

"The Congress of the Council of Europe has always shown its commitment to the territorial integrity of member states and we believe that this integrity is the first guarantee of a positive development of the regional dimension in our countries" concluded the congress president.

 By Thea Morrison