Georgian Parliament Replies to President Putin's Statement on Terrorists

The Georgian parliament yesterday unanimously approved a statement addressed to the UN, the OSCE, NATO and the EU. The document declares that Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement on Chechen fighters in Georgia is 'an act of open aggression against Georgia and a breach of international law'. Parliamentary deputies called on the international community to help Georgia 'avoid an act of aggression on Russia's part', and also to send international observers to the unstable region.

In a meeting with leaders of the armed forces in Sochi on September 11, Vladimir Putin announced that 'Russia reserves the right to act in self-defence if Georgia does not put an end to incursions by terrorists from her territory'. The Russian President also ordered the Defence Ministry to prepare a plan for potential military action against terrorists in Georgia.