NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said in a statement on Saturday, the alliance “does not recognise the elections held on August 26 in the Georgian region of Abkhazia.”

“The holding of such election does not contribute to a peaceful and lasting settlement of the situation in Georgia. The Alliance reiterates its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders,” the NATO Secretary General said in the written statement.