OSCE Chairman Condemns South Ossetia Polls

The OSCE does not recognize and does not acknowledge the outcomes of the referendum or any of the electoral activity in the South Ossetia region and considers it as ?counterproductive,? the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, said on November 13.

“The ‘referendum on independence’ and ‘presidential election’ in the South Ossetian region does not help to bring a peaceful solution of the conflict closer,” he said.

“The so-called elections increase tensions and divisions at a time when the sides to the Georgian-Ossetian conflict should be devoting all efforts to stabilizing the situation and moving forward the negotiating process.”
 
Minister De Gucht said the international community considers South Ossetia an integral part of Georgia and supports all efforts by the two sides to achieve a peaceful settlement of their conflict through negotiations.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)