The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring the situation in Georgia have condemned the June 9 parliamentary elections in South Ossetia, calling them illegal.

Axar.az reports citing Russian media.

"We reiterate our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally-recognised borders. The so-called parliamentary elections in the Georgian region of South Ossetia that took place last Sunday are therefore neither legal nor legitimate. They hinder the peaceful settlement of the conflict and instead of uniting people they only drive them further apart. We can only condemn that," the Romanian and French parliamentarians, Titus Corlatean and Claude Kern, said in the statement.

The co-rapporteurs will pay a visit to Georgia on July 1-2 "in the framework of the ongoing monitoring procedure."

South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia after the August 2008 armed conflict. Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and has repeatedly stated that it would not review this decision. By now, four countries - Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Syria - have recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.