Georgian denies any link with Moscow terror attacks

On March 30 the Georgian Foreign Ministry denied having any link with the terrorist attacks carried out in Moscow on Monday. Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said that allegations that Georgia could have had anything to do with the two blasts in metro stations in Russia’s capital are “not serious” and “ungrounded”. He was responding to reports by Georgian media outlets that Russian Duma member Semyon Bagdasarov had accused Georgia of being connected to Monday’s attacks.

No Russian official has made such “foolish” statements before, the Georgian Foreign Minister said at a media briefing. “The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov, said that many terrorist attacks are being planned at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and in the North Caucasus. None of the abovementioned have anything to do with Georgia,” Vashadze said “If anyone has any schizophrenic ideas in his head, we cannot help that,” the Minister added. He noted that “some of the members of Russian Duma are detached from reality.”

Vashadze reiterated the position of the Georgian Government on the terrorist attacks in Moscow. “Georgia has already condemned this terrorist act – terrorism does not have any justification. It is especially dangerous when it targets the peaceful population,” the Minister stated. “The Georgian Government, and the President, have expressed their condolences over the terrorist attack,” he added.

Vashadze also commented on the detention of a person suspected of being part of a group planning terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. The Russian media has reported that the suspect had brought weapons into Azerbaijan from Georgia to be used in several terrorist attacks. The Minister said that the Georgian side is finding out about this detention. “We are working in coordination with the Georgian Interior Ministry. We have already asked our Azeri colleagues for full information about the incident in Baku,” Vashadze stated. “However, the information about weapons being imported to Azerbaijan from Georgia was spread by the Russian media, so not much attention should be paid to this,” he added.

March 30 was declared a day of mourning in Russia as the number of victims of the terrorist attacks at the Lubyanka and Park Kultury stations in downtown Moscow reached 39. 72 people are also reported to be receiving medical treatment in various hospitals in the capital. The Russian Federal Security Service has said that two female suicide bombers carried out the attacks. These were linked to one of the North Caucasus terrorist groups, according to the Russian law enforcement agencies.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the Lubyanka metro station later on Monday and said that the people who had planned and carried out the attack were “beasts”. “We will no doubt find all of them and punish them,” the President stated.