Romanian Olympic travelers warned against visiting Georgia’s breakaway regions

Romanian visitors planning to attend the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi have been advised not to attend the breakaway regions of Georgia.

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have released guidelines to Romanian residents ahead of next month’s Olympic competition.

The official Spectator Guide for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games for Romanian tourists recommended visitors did not visit the occupied regions of Georgia including Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Sochi is located 40km from Abkhazia, along the Black Sea coast. Russia is one of the few countries to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states since they broke away from Georgia in 1990.

Furthermore, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Romanian travelers who planned to visit the breakaway regions to inform Georgian authorities of their plans.

The Government also gave Romanian sporting fans safety information about the breakaway regions, in case they visited the troubled areas.

The guide stated entering the regions across a Russian border without informing Georgian authorities was a crime punishable by local law.

The guidelines are available on the Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, www.mae.ro/en.

Russia expands border zone

Earlier this month, the de-facto Government of Abkhazia declared that the boundary zone would impede on Georgian territory until March 21, when the Olympic Games are over.

Moreover, the boundary zone will be shifted by 11km kilometers on the Psou River, near the town of Gagra.

The Georgian government expressed "deep concern" over the "illegal expansion".