Tbilisi: Lavrov’s visit to occupied Abkhazia is gross violation of law
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The Georgian Foreign Ministry says that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s so-called working visit to Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region violates the fundamental principles of the international law.
Moscow announced that Lavrov will visit occupied Abkhazia on April 18-19, where he will meet with de-facto leaders of the breakaway region and will also attend the official ceremony of the opening of a Russian "embassy” in Abkhazia.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement this morning that Lavrov’s arrival in Abkhazia, by neglecting the Georgian state border, and opening an illegal diplomatic representation of Russia in the occupied region of Georgia will be a gross violation of Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the fundamental principles of the international law.
"This represents a continuation of Moscow’s provocative policy against the state of Georgia, which aims to legitimise the violent change of borders of the sovereign state though ethnic cleansing and military occupation”, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
Tbilisi calls on Russia to stop its "provocative actions”, and show respect for the territorial integrity of the sovereign state.
A total of 327 Georgian citizens have been illegally detained by Russian-controlled guards near the two Russian occupation lines in Georgia in 2016, says the Georgian State Security Service in its annual report.
US Department of State: "Our position on Abkhazia and South Ossetia is clear and consistent. These regions are integral parts of Georgia".
A father and a son from Georgia’s western region of Samegrelo have been kidnapped by Russian occupation forces last night.The witnesses say the Russian occupants detained the Rogavas at the Enguri River, near Russian occupied region of Georgia - Abkhazia.
Three people were kidnapped yesterday in Georgia’s eastern municipality of Gori located near Russian occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia).
Lithuania denounces Russian Foreign Minister’s so-called visit to Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region and says it’s "yet another provocative step by Russia”.
Georgia has received an unprecedented level of support from members of the Council of Europe (CoE) at a meeting of CoE Committee of Ministers Deputies, says the Georgian Foreign Ministry.
Georgia is prevented from exercising its jurisdiction over its occupied regions due to the illegal actions of Russia including its military presence there, says the latest decision of the Council of Europe.
The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) repots based on Georgia’s Interior Ministry that between 2009 and 2016 363 cases of violation of Georgia’s Law on Occupied Territories were registered.
Three people have died in a plane crash in the Russian occupied region of Georgia – Abkhazia today.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia show that between 2015 and 2017, criminal prosecution was launched against 46 individuals who illegally entered the Georgian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), without any consent from the government of Georgia.