The Abkhaz Foreign Ministry condemned on July 9 the detention of a Turkish vessel en route from Abkhazia. It was, the ministry said, an example of ?Georgia?s aggression.?
The Georgian coast guard seized the vessel, flying the Cambodian flag, in Turkish waters after a chase, the Georgian Border Police said on July 6. It said that the vessel, loaded with coal, was en-route from Ochamchire, south-east of Sokhumi.
The secessionist authorities have asked the UN Secretary General?s Special Representative, Jean Arnault, and the UN Secretary General?s Group of Friends – France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia and the U.S. – to mediate in releasing the vessel and its crew.
Justifying the seizure, the Georgian Border Police said ?the territorial waters and ports of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic are closed under Georgian legislation and any marine activities are illegal, except for humanitarian purposes.?
The seizure, according to Sokhumi, is an attempt by Tbilisi to destabilize the situation. It called on the international community ?to prevent Georgia?s aggressive actions from developing into a new conflict.?
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)