NATO Secretary General on Putin's "elections": Neither free nor fair
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has condemned Russia's presidential "elections" in the occupied parts of Ukraine and Georgia.
Source: Stoltenberg at a press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Tbilisi, European Pravda writes.
Quote: "Russia’s organisation of elections in occupied parts of Georgia and Ukraine is completely illegal. And Russia’s presidential election was clearly neither free nor fair," Stoltenberg said.
He also reiterated his call for Russia to revoke its recognition of Georgian territories as independent states.
The NATO Secretary General also spoke about the difficult security challenges Georgia is facing.
Quote: "NATO allies provide 99 per cent of all military aid to Ukraine. And our partners also play a key role.
I welcome that Georgia is hosting thousands of Ukrainian refugees and providing crucial humanitarian and financial aid. At the same time, we can and must do more to stop Russia’s cycle of aggression," Stoltenberg said.
Background:
- The European Union has criticised the "presidential elections" in Russia, which were subject to numerous restrictions, saw no participation of real opposition candidates, and included votes cast in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
- A number of Eastern European countries and the UK have said that the Russian "elections" cannot be considered free and fair, and the UK Defence Secretary compared Putin to Soviet dictator Stalin.
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