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Fight against Islamic state

PM: Georgia controls Pankisi Gorge area, no terrorist threat emanates from there

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference earlier on Tuesday that Moscow had information that the IS terrorist group is using the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia in its interests

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili Beso Gulashvili/Presidential Press Service Pool Photo via AP

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili

© Beso Gulashvili/Presidential Press Service Pool Photo via AP

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Moscow has information that Islamic State uses Pankisi Gorge in Georgia — Lavrov

TBILISI, January 26. /TASS/. The Georgian authorities control the territory of the Pankisi Gorge, there is no terrorist threat, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili told reporters on Tuesday, commenting on remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"The Georgian government exercises control over the Pankisi Gorge, and no terrorist threat emanates from there. There is no risk of a terror attack from the Pankisi Gorge," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference earlier on Tuesday that Moscow had information that the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) was using the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia in its interests. "We receive reports that ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - former name of IS) militants are using this hardly accessible territory to train, rest and replenish their supplies," Lavrov said.

The foreign minister confirmed that there were cases when terrorists were detained in the Pankisi Gorge. According to available information, they were linked to IS, he added.

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Georgia Islamic State

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