Turkey, Ukraine, Azerbaijan join EU condemnation of Abkhazia poll

Dec 16, 2009, 0:03 GMT

Brussels - Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Azerbaijan on Tuesday joined the European Union in condemning the weekend's presidential election in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, saying they do not recognize the territory as a country.

The move comes as Turkey and the former Soviet states are pushing to reinforce their ties with the EU. It is likely to irritate Russia, which maintains that Abkhazia is an independent state.

The EU 'does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework within which these elections have taken place' and 'continues to support Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as recognized by international law,' a statement issued in Brussels on Monday and re-released on Tuesday said.

'Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Azerbaijan align themselves with this declaration,' along with EU hopeful Turkey and fellow EU allies such as Croatia and Norway, Tuesday's version of the statement added.

Abkhazia and the nearby region of South Ossetia have been pushing for independence from Georgia for almost 20 years.

When Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia in August 2008, Russia invaded Georgia in retaliation, recognized the two regions as independent and stationed military garrisons there.

The move sparked concern around Russia's borders, where pro- Western leaders in countries such as Ukraine said that it marked Moscow's attempt to stamp its authority on its 'near-abroad.'

After the war, the EU accelerated plans to launch an 'Eastern Partnership' with six former-Soviet neighbours, including Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Azerbaijan, in a bid to strengthen its own influence across its Eastern border.

Only Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and the Pacific island state of Nauru have recognized the breakaway regions' independence.