France condemns Russia for holding elections in Ukrainian territory of Crimea

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – France on Friday strongly condemned Russia for holding elections in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, according to an official statement.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that a governor has been "illegally" reelected in Crimea, which is under occupation, and condemned Russia's "organization of elections in Ukrainian territory."

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move that the international community widely condemned as illegal.

From September 6 to 8, Russia held elections for governors and regional legislators in 83 regions and cities.

"Those so-called elections have no legitimacy and are being held in territories that Russia has illegally occupied for ten years," the Foreign Ministry statement reads.

The ministry denounced the "fake" elections and said it would not recognize the "results."

It also called on Russia to immediately put an end to the “war of aggression” and withdraw its troops from Ukraine to its internationally recognized borders.