The EU Council has finally approved the decision on the non-recognition of Russian passports issued in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
We note with regret that this decision is blatantly discriminatory against millions of people around the world, who have made a choice in favor of Russian citizenship, including residents of South Ossetia, more than 90 percent of whom also have Russian citizenship.
Instead of objectivity and impartiality, preserving and promoting the freedoms and rights of citizens, stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and other international documents, the EU regulation arbitrarily imposes restrictions on movement, ignoring international law and deliberately destroying its fundamental principles.
We consider the adopted measures not to-recognize the Russian travel documents as a gross violation of generally recognized norms, aimed, among other things, at serving the interests of Georgia in its policy of isolating South Ossetia.
Tskhinval, December 15, 2022