Georgia’s ruling party against sanctioning Belarus for contacts with breakaway region

February 22, BPN. The ruling Georgian Dream party is against imposing sanctions on Belarus for contacts with the leadership of the self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia, party leader Irakli Kobakhidze has said in Tbilisi.

“An official statement was made by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Newsgeorgia.ge quoted him as saying. “Of course, we condemn the meeting and the so-called ‘visit.’ This is our position. At the same time, it is important for us to maintain the current status quo in terms of non-recognition. So far, Belarus has not recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and we will do everything possible to maintain this status quo.”

Previously, the Georgian foreign ministry criticized Alaksandr Łukašenka’s meeting with Aslan Bzhania, the ruler of Gerogia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.

“This action blatantly violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and represents an attempt to legitimize the Russian occupation regime,” the ministry said in a statement.

The foreign ministry called on Minsk “to cease taking the actions, which contradict the fundamental principles and norms of international law.”

Łukašenka and Bzhania met in Minsk on February 21, with the Belarusian leader saying that Georgia was “for some reason” reacting strongly to the meeting.

He claimed that the Belarusian-Abkhazian relationship “can promote peace and friendship between the Abkhazian and Georgian peoples.”