Georgia Condemns Russia’s Interference in Abkhazia

Visiting Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said at a news briefing in Moscow on November 2 that Georgia is “upset” by Russia’s active involvement in the developments in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia.

“Of course we were upset when Russian President Vladimir Putin met with [then] Abkhaz Prime Minister [and pro-governmental presidential candidate] Raul Khajimba [in Sochi on August 29]. Can you imagine Russia’s reaction if [Georgian] President Mikheil Saakashvili meets with [Chechen rebel leader] Aslan Maskhadov?” Nino Burjanadze said.

Currently, both pro-governmental Abkhaz presidential candidate Raul Khajimba and opposition candidate Sergey Bagapsh are visiting Moscow in an attempt to find a breakthrough in the crisis which persists in the unrecognized republic after disputed October 3 presidential elections.

“The fate of Abkhazia’s new President will be decided in Moscow. That is why both of them are currently here [in the Russian capital],” said visiting Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues Goga Khaindrava at a news briefing in Moscow on November 2.

In separate comments made in a live interview to the Ekho Moskvy radio station on November 2, Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze accused Moscow of employing a double standard policy when dealing with conflicts in the Caucasus. She said Moscow is fighting against separatists on its territory in Chechnya while supporting separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian)