( Civil ) - The EU has reiterated its full support for the territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and emphasized that it does not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called "parliamentary elections" and local elections held in Abkhazia on March 4 and February 11, respectively, the German Presidency said in a statement on behalf of the EU.
"The European Union holds the view that elections in this region of Georgia can only be valid after all refugees and internally-displaced persons are given the right to a safe, secure and dignified return to their homes," the statement issued on March 5 reads.
The EU called on the conflicting sides "to immediately resume negotiations in order to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict."
Turkey, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, Ukraine and Moldova have aligned themselves with this statement.