Ruling party head calls Lukashenko’s visit to Russian-occupied Abkhazia region “deplorable and severe” step

Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said the visit by Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko to Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region this week was a “deplorable and severe” step.

In his comments over the matter, Kobakhidze noted the position of the Georgian government over the development was “clear”, adding the visit had violated the country’s law on the occupied territories. 

The main thing for us is that the extreme red line is not crossed, and this is related to the policy of non-recognition. Belarus still does not recognise the so-called independence of Abkhazia, and it is fundamentally important for us that this position be maintained. Each of our steps should be taken according to this, even when it comes to reaction”, the GD official told PalitraNews TV.

Kobakhidze also said the Belarusian side had later reported that Lukashenko had visited not Abkhazia but “historical places of the Black Sea coast”.

This move in itself is an indication of something, that is, that we can have hope of seeing the policy of non-recognition being maintained. In this regard, everything must be done from our side”, he concluded.