Controversial Reports over Violation of Georgian Airspace

Conflicting reports are coming in about the alleged violation of the Georgian airspace by the Russian aircrafts on September 14. The Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze has already condemned the incident, while the Georgian Defense Ministry official denied the report.

According to the Georgian media reports Russian aircraft, allegedly Mi-8 multipurpose helicopters flew over Kodori gorge, which is the only territory in breakaway Abkhazia controlled by the Georgian authorities. ?Russia deliberately takes such steps to stress that the situation in the Kodori gorge is not under control,? Nino Burjanadze said at the parliamentary session on September 14.

However, Commander of the Air Forces of Georgia Amiran Salukvadze told Civil Georgia on September 14, ?the Georgian side has not observed any violation of Georgian air space.?

The Georgian Border Guard Department refused to make any comment regarding this report. ?We are not in the position any more to comment regarding this kind of reports. The Defense Ministry is in charge of this information,? Shalva Londaridze, a spokesman for the Border Guard Department told Civil Georgia.

Emzar Kvitsiani, Georgian President?s envoy in Kodori gorge, also claims that Mi-8 helicopters entered the Georgian airspace in Kodori gorge.

“There were six Mi-8 military helicopters. Four of them flew over the upper ranges of the Kodori gorge at 4-5 a.m. [local time] followed by another two later,” Interfax news agency quotes Kvitsiani.

The Russian Defense Ministry also denied the report. “No flights were made by Russian Air Force helicopters along the border with Georgia last night. Nor did they violate the Georgian border,” Col. Alexander Drobishevski, a spokesman for the Russian Air Force told Interfax.