Deputy head of Russian Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister of Abkhazia discuss situation in Pankisi Gorge

According to the information provided on Saturday to RIA Novosti in the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Foreign Ministry, special representative of the Russian President on matters of Georgian-Abkhazian settlement, state secretary and first deputy foreign minister Valery Loshchinin considered urgent matters of Georgian-Abkhazian settlement with Anri Dzhergeniya, Prime Minister of Abkhazia. Special attention was paid to the present situation in the Pankisi gorge "in the context of its possible influence on the state of relations between Tbilisi and Sukhumi." During the meeting the parties expressed serious concern regarding the reports about movements of detachments of international terrorists from Pankisi to the Kodori gorge. The parties specially emphasized that "such development of events was seriously damaging security and stability in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict and in the Caucasian region in general." In this connection Dzhergeniya drew attention to the statement of the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry dated August 28 which indicated that in addition to terrorists, Georgian armed formations of more than 1,000 people strength were staying in the Kodori gorge with heavy military equipment.

The interlocutors stated the necessity and readiness to undertake active moves to prevent escalation of tension, to avoid resumption of an armed conflict.