( Civil ) - The United States does not recognize the March 4 parliamentary and February 11 local elections in breakaway Abkhazia, the U.S. Department of State said in its press statement.
"By raising political tensions between the sides, these elections detract from international efforts to achieve a just and lasting settlement of the Abkhazia conflict," the statement reads.
"These 'elections' underscore the plight of more than 200,000 persons displaced by the conflict. Most remain unable to exercise their right, affirmed in numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council, to return to their homes throughout Abkhazia following ethnic cleansing during the armed conflict in the mid-1990s. Many of those who have returned have suffered other human rights violations, which undermine the evolution of democracy. We call on those authorities to respect the rights of those who have returned and adhere to measures that would allow the return of all displaced people to Abkhazia."