The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry released a statement on Friday saying that it “does not recognize the so called ‘presidential elections’ conducted in Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia” on November 13.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan reiterates its firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia,” it said in a statement on November 18. “The Ministry strongly believes that ongoing negotiation process should be continued in a constructive manner to find a viable solution to the conflict.”

When breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh held local elections in September, 2011 the Georgian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that it “does not recognize the illegal elections of so-called ‘local self-government bodies’ in Nagorno-Karabakh” and reiterating its “unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Azerbaijan. The Georgian Foreign Ministry made a similar statement in respect of parliamentary elections in breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh in May, 2010.