Russian MFA: Moscow will Secure its Tourists in Abkhazia

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Russia would “take relevant measures” to ensure the security of its citizens who visit Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia as tourists.

Responding to a journalist’s question, MFA spokesperson said: “as it is known, at the beginning of June of the current year, the border department of Georgia made a statement [that the Abkhaz portion of the maritime border is closed for all forms of maritime traffic]. This [statement] caused a concerned reaction from the Abkhaz authorities, who took it as a signal of possible actions using force which, certainly, would complicate relations between Tbilisi and Sukhumi. 

We should remember that attempts to enforce a de facto maritime blockade of Abkhazia in the summer of last year led to a spike in tension in this region and a stoppage of the peace process, which has been restored only in the last few months

The Russian side, which consistently opts for an improvement of trust between the sides in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, wants to attract attention to the inadmissibility of any provocative actions, and, if it is necessary, would take relevant measures, including ensuring the security of all Russian citizens in this part of the Black Sea.”

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