Georgian MFA expresses “strict protest” over military trainings in Akhalgori region

A military colonnade composed of Russian “occupational forces” including 40 armored vehicles entered Akhalgori on December 26th, 2010, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported on Wednesday. According to the Ministry, on December 27th and 28th armored vehicles were deployed in the village of Akhmaji, close to a Georgian police checkpoint. “They conducted military trainings there and returned to Akhalgori, where they are still stationed as of now,” the Ministry said in its statement.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry has blamed the Russian side for continuing the “rude violation of the main principles of the international legislation and its multilateral and bilateral international pledges, including all points of the August 12th, 2008 ceasefire agreement.” The Ministry expressed its “strict protest” against military trainings in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia, calling on the international community to “force Russia to its stop provocations aimed at destabilizing the situation in Georgia, pledge to not use force against Georgia and to fully de-occupy Georgian territories in the shortest period of time.”

No information has been disseminated about the alleged military trainings by the de facto South Ossetian media outlets so far.