In a statement issued on October 4 the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy expressed his concern about the holding of presidential elections on October 3 in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhaz region.

He said that the OSCE supports the territorial integrity of Georgia and does not recognize the independence of Abkhazia nor the elections held on Sunday.

"Refugees and internally-displaced persons should be enabled to return to their homes in Abkhazia in safety and dignity before any election in the region can be held", he said. He noted that a large part of the population was displaced outside Abkhazia and thus excluded from voting. This disqualified the elections as illegitimate and unacceptable.

Solomon Passy also reiterated the OSCE’s support towards the peaceful resolution of the Abkhazian conflict.