Canada, Estonia, Finland and Lithuania joined in denouncing the March 12 Parliamentary Elections in breakaway Abkhazia.

“Canada condemns latest Russian actions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. These measures undermine the sovereignty of Georgia,” Global Affairs Canada, the country’s department for foreign policy activities, stated on March 17.

“Finland does not recognize the so called parliamentary elections in Abkhazia on 12 March 2017. Support to Georgia’s territorial integrity,” Päivi Peltokoski, Director of the Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, wrote on March 15.

“So called parliamentary elections in occupied Abkhazia, Georgia are illegal. Support to Georgia’s territitorial integrity,” the Estonian Foreign Ministry stated on March 13.

“So called elections in Abkhazia, Georgia, have no legal effect. Full support for Georgia’s territorial integrity!” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry wrote on March 14.

Voters in Abkhazia cast their ballots on March 12 to elect the region’s 35-member National Assembly.

Elections in the region were denounced as illegitimate by Tbilisi and the international community, including the United States, Poland, NATO and Azerbaijan.