Two years after the conflict, several thousand Russian troops remain stationed in the disputed Georgian territory. Photo by Onnik Krikorian/Oneworld Multimedia

VILNIUS — The Lithuanian parliament passed a resolution Wednesday officially condemning Russia’s military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, following the 2008 war in the regions.

Citing abhorrence of “all forms of aggression, including armed assault and invasion of another country, bombing another country, its occupation and annexation,” the Seimas passed the resolution with 55 votes for, nine against and 23 abstentions.

The resolution said Russia’s use of the local puppet regimes to control the regions constituted a violation of public international law.

The resolution declared that the restoration of peace and security of the Russian-Georgian conflict zone should be guided by the following basic principles: withdrawal of Russian forces from the occupied parts of Georgian territory, occupied territory of Georgia, acting pseudo government puppet derivatives being excluded, the safety of refugees and displaced persons being allowed to return to their home, restoring Georgian jurisdiction in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, its constitution and corresponding attraction for local people and local autonomy, the introduction of the model in these regions, democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights and freedoms protection throughout the territory of Georgia and the broad international community and international organizations supporting the implementation of these principles.

The adopted resolution also calls for both sides to create conditions spelled out in their ceasefire. They should also avoid any escalation of conflict, the resolution said.

This article is free to view. To read Baltic Reports’ subscription-only articles, click here.