Joint Statement of the Group of Friends of Georgia

March 18, 2022 – Vienna, Austria - Global Affairs Canada

Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called “parliamentary election” held in Georgia’s Abkhazia region on March 12, 2022. The same is true for the so-called “presidential election” scheduled to be held in Georgia’s South Ossetia region on April 10, 2022.  

We reiterate our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, and remain deeply concerned over the continued occupation of parts of the territory of Georgia by the Russian Federation as well as by steps to integrate Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the Russia's socio-economic sphere.

We once again urge Russia to fulfill its obligation under the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 ceasefire agreement, and to withdraw its forces to their positions prior to the outbreak of hostilities, as well as to provide free access for humanitarian assistance to these regions. We also call on Russia to reverse its recognition of the so- called independence of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.