Zourabichvili: Ganmukhuri Incident could be a Provocation

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili did not rule out that incident in the Georgian village of Ganmukhuri in the Abkhaz conflict zone involving Russian peacekeepers, could be a provocation on the eve of the Russo-Georgian talks scheduled for March 23-24 in Moscow.

?The incident is already over and the situation is calm and stable. However, we may expect provocations from those certain forces ? I do not know who they are – who are against negotiations, which may result in constructive progress,? Salome Zourabichvili said at a news conference.

Tensions broke out in the Abkhaz conflict zone after a unit of the Russian peacekeeping troops, backed by several infantry combat vehicles, entered the village of Ganmukhuri earlier on March 22 and demanded that the Georgian Interior Ministry?s troops stationed there surrender their arms. Russian peacekeepers pulled out from the village after talks between the leadership of the peacekeepers and the Georgian officials.

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