( Civil ) - President Saakashvili said on March 9 that "Abkhaz separatists should not have any illusion any longer" about possible international support after "an avalanche of condemnations" voiced by the most of the international community about the March 4 parliamentary elections in the breakaway region.
"Separatist thought that every one would have got accustomed to these stage shows [referring to elections in breakaway region]. I have looked through the reaction of the international community on the Abkhaz elections. It was an avalanche of statements denouncing Abkhaz elections with a special emphasize on the issues of displaced persons; there has never been such a reaction before," Saakashvili said while speaking with Georgian reporters in Tokyo, where he pays a working visit.
"We have been saying for a long time that the major problem there is that people is not allowed to return back to their homes. But no one was paying attention to this for many years," he added.
European Union, NATO, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, CoE Secretary General, GUAM-member states and the United States have strongly rejected the Abkhaz elections. But Moscow has stopped short of recognizing them by saying it "respects" the polls, which "were a continuation of the democratic trends that were observed during the recent local self governance elections" in Abkhazia on February 11.