TBILISI, September 28. /TASS/. The Georgian Foreign Ministry has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukhashenko of violating state borders after he paid a visit to Abkhazia, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemns the violation of the Georgian state border by Alexander Lukashenko with his so-called visit to the occupied Abkhazia region, which blatantly infringes the fundamental principles and norms of international law," the statement reads.
"We call on the Belarusian side to respect the territorial integrity of a sovereign state within its internationally recognized borders, and not to take the actions which contradict the fundamental principles of international law," the Georgian Foreign Ministry statement added.
Earlier in the day, Belarusian Ambassador in Tbilisi Anatoly Lis had been summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry after Belarusian President Lukashenko’s visit to Abkhazia. The Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia reported earlier in the day that Lukashenko paid an official visit to Abkhazia and held a meeting with President Aslan Bzhania.
Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on August 26, 2008, after Georgia had mounted an nocturnal offensive against South Ossetia on August 8. Moscow intervened to protect civilians, many of whom had obtained Russian citizenship, and Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in the region since 1992. In a five-day armed clash, more than one thousand people, including 72 Russian peacekeepers, lost their lives.
Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties with Moscow in response and stated that the territories at issue had been occupied.