Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Merab Antadze said on September 13 that the support expressed by Chairman of the Russian State Duma Council Boris Grizlov for a planned independence referendum in breakaway South Ossetia infringes on Georgia’s sovereignty.

Grizlov said on September 12 that Russian parliamentarians will observe the South Ossetia referendum, set to take place on November 12. Presidential elections are also planned on the same day in the unrecognized republic.

Grizlov added that Georgia’s policy has made it necessary for South Ossetia to hold the referendum.

Antadze described Grizlov’s statement as “destructive.”

“We want to warn the Russian side to follow the principles of international law, to respect Georgia’s sovereignty and to prevent illegal crossings of the Georgian state border by Russian citizens,” Antadze said in a statement issued on September 13.