NATO criticizes Putin’s official visit to Abkhazia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to unrecognized Abkhazia, Reuters reports quoting the representative of the alliance.
“The visit of President Putin to the Georgian region of Abkhazia on the ninth anniversary of the armed conflict undermines the efforts of the international community to reach a peaceful and agreeable solution to the conflict,” the report said.
The NATO spokesman said that Putin’s visit should have been previously agreed upon by Georgian authorities.
The trip of the Russian leader was also criticized by the Georgian Foreign Ministry. The ministry said that the visit of the Russian leader is “a continuation of Moscow’s policy against Tbilisi.”
On August 7, 2008, Russian troops invaded the territory of Georgia under the pretext of needing to protect Russian citizens. They occupied a large part of Western Georgia and approached to within 30 kilometers of Tbilisi.
It was reported that on August 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for an official visit to the unrecognized Abkhazia.
Putin plans to hold talks with the president of Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba, during the visit.