NATO Condemns Elections and Referendum in Breakaway Tskhinvali

The spokesperson of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Oana Lungescu, released a statement on April 10 saying that NATO does not recognize the presidential elections nor the referendum held in South Ossetia (Tskhinvali) this Sunday.

“Unilateral steps to change the name or status of the region are detrimental to the efforts to find a lasting settlement of the situation in Georgia,” the statement reads. The statement also says NATO Allies do not recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

NATO reiterated its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally-defined borders.

The presidential elections and a referendum on changing the name of the Tskhinvali region took place on April 9.

#NATO doesn’t recognize so-called pres. elections nor referendum in South Ossetia region of #Georgia. My statement: https://t.co/MoTWW9ZvKZ pic.twitter.com/vW0oJ3D4sJ

— Oana Lungescu (@NATOpress) April 10, 2017

Thea Morrison