Russian Formin: Tbilisi's actions in Kodori Gorge complicate Georgian-Abkhaz relations

The Georgian side's actions in the Kodori gorge aggravate the situation in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone, a statement of the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry puts.

Lately "credible sources have reported of Georgian Air Force helicopters patrolling the upper part of the Kodori gorge and the Chkhaltinskoye gorge," the document points out.

"Such actions on the Georgian part discredit relations between Tbilisi and Sukhumi, laying new obstacles in the way of Georgian-Abkhaz settlement. There is an impression that Tbilisi does not strive for a peaceful solution to the problem," the Foreign Ministry underlined.

According to the Georgian-Abkhaz Ceasefire Treaty of 1994, "there must not be Georgian military presence in the region, and the appearance of the Georgian combat helicopters there is a blatant violation of this and other agreements between Tbilisi and Sukhumi," the Foreign Ministry pointed out.

The Georgian side's actions "are contrary to the provisions of the UN Security Council's corresponding resolutions, which demand that the sides of the conflict permanently and scrupulously observe the Ceasefire Treaty of 1994, the UN Security Council's latest demand having been on July 29 this year," the Foreign Ministry's statement says.

The document notes that "the fact that the helicopters, patrolling the region, are mainly "Iroquois", produced in the US, arouses concern." These helicopters were supplied to Georgia within the framework of the anti-terrorist program, and were not intended for using in the conflict zone," the statement recalls.