EU Delegation Denounces Putin’s Visit to De facto Abkhazia

European Union (EU) Delegation to Georgia has released a statement criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to breakaway Abkhazia on the 9th anniversary of the Georgia-Russia war in August 2008.

“The visit of the President of the Russian Federation to Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia on the day of the anniversary of the August 2008 war, like similar visits before it, infringes upon the principle of Georgia's territorial integrity and risks jeopardising international efforts directed at the peaceful resolution of the conflict,” the statement reads.

The Delegation recalls the firm support of the European Union for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Statement by EU Delegation to #Georgia on the Russian President's visit to Georgia's breakaway #Abkhazia on 8 Aug https://t.co/d3ToyapAwR

— EUDelegation Georgia (@EUinGeorgia) August 9, 2017

Putin arrived in occupied Abkhazia on August 8 and met with the so-called President of Abkhazia Raul Khajimba, stating that Moscow was committed to building a joint Russian-Abkhaz military contingent to ‘ensure the security of the people in Abkhazia.’

Officials in Tbilisi condemned the visit, and stated that this step is a legitimization of forceful change of borders of the sovereign state through military aggression, ethnic cleansing and occupation.

Georgia called on the Russian Federation to cease its provocative actions against the Georgian statehood and respect the territorial integrity of the sovereign state.

By Thea Morrison