EU external affairs spox: bloc condemns Lukashenko’s visit to Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia “very strongly”

Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the external affairs of the European Union, on Thursday said the bloc condemned “very strongly” the visit of Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko to Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia on Wednesday. 

In his remarks over the visit, the EU official stressed the move was a violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and constituted a “blatant violation” of international law.

Apart from the fact that Lukashenko lacks any legitimacy to act as a head of state, this visit was not done in consent with the Georgian authorities, which are the only legitimate authorities of the region of Abkhazia. This visit is a violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and constitutes a blatant violation of international law”, Stano told Imedi TV.

Stano also noted Lukashenko was reinforcing his image as an “outcast” of the international community as he had been sanctioned not only for the “oppression and a wide scale repression” against citizens of Belarus but also for enabling the Russian aggression on Ukrainian territory from Belarus. 

Now he goes to Abkhazia as an illegitimate head of state. This is another violation of international law”, the EU spokesperson concluded in his comments.