TBILISI, Georgia, July 20 (UPI) -- The government of Georgia said Friday it wouldn't recognize the validity of presidential elections in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The majority of the constituents in Nagorno-Karabakh turned out to vote for president, handing incumbent leader Bako Saakyan a decisive victory, reports Russian news agency RIA-Novosti.
Russian observers described the election as "valid" and "legitimate," the report adds.
Armenian and Azeri troops were killed during skirmishes in early June as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the region.
The countries went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s. Azerbaijan considers the region to be part of its territory.
The government in Georgia said it wouldn't recognize the results, declaring "its unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."
Ties between Georgia and Russia are strained because of disputes over the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The region's Trend news service reported Friday that a soldier from Azerbaijan was killed by Armenian forces near the shared border.
