Sokhumi Accuses Tbilisi of Attempting to Thwart Railway Talks

Both the Secretary of the National Security Council and the Foreign Minister of breakaway Abkhazia condemned the detention of two Turkish vessels in the Abkhaz portion of the maritime border on July 2-3 by the Georgian coastguard, regarding it as an attempt by Tbilisi to thwart talks over the resumption of the Russo-Georgian railway via Abkhazia, Apsnipress reported.

Secretary of National Security Council of breakaway Abkhazia Stanislav Lakoba said that this incident demonstrated once again that Tbilisi is not interested in resuming the railway link via Abkhazia. He said that ?the Abkhaz side will have to undertake adequate measures? if the Georgian coastguard continues detaining foreign vessels traveling in the Abkhaz portion of the maritime border.

?The Georgian side masterminds provocations of these kinds as soon as signs of intensive talks appear,? Sergey Shamba, the Foreign Minister of breakaway Abkhazia said.

According to Abkhaz sources, the Georgian coastguard seized two Turkish vessels ? one loaded with construction materials en route to Turkey from Abkhazia and another, loaded with wheat, en route to Abkhazia, on July 2 and July 3 respectively.

However, the Georgian Border Guard Department only reported on one detainment of a Turkish cargo vessel, which, reportedly, was carrying eight Turkish citizens and construction materials to Abkhazia.

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