The News in Brief
Friday, Decemmber 7
De facto ministry of Abkhazia calls NATO Secretary General’s statement provocation
The de facto foreign ministry of occupied Abkhazia has responded to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who called on Russia to withdraw its troops and revoke the recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at the NATO Ministerial.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia describes the statement made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as a provocation that further escalates situation in the region. Such statements by European senior officials are directed at supporting the aggressor country, which has carried out many acts of genocide and armed aggression against the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," the de facto agency said.
The de facto Foreign Ministry emphasized that "the presence of Russian military units on the territory of Abkhazia is strictly regulated by inter-state agreements between Abkhazia and Russia".
"We would also like to remind NATO Secretary General that Russia's recognition of Abkhazia is ultimate and irreversible. The strengthening of military cooperation in the Georgia-NATO format creates additional threat to peace in the South Caucasus," the de facto Foreign Ministry said. (IPN)
Seven jailed Donbass Battalion members plead not guilty, go on hunger strike in Tbilisi
Seven jailed members of the Donbass Battalion have gone on hunger strike in Tbilisi, protesting their detention and claiming that the police planted illegal items.
The six Ukrainian and one Georgian citizen are charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and were placed in pre-trial detention by Tbilisi City Court on Tuesday.
During the court hearing, the detainees pleaded not guilty and claimed that Georgian authorities are using their arrest as part of its political agenda, as evidence that the opposition is planning to violently overthrow the government.
The seven are linked to Ukraine’s volunteer battalion ‘Donbass’, which has played a key role in the war against pro-Russian militia in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Donbass Battalion’s founder and commander, Semen Semenchenko, is a member of the Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada, and is strongly opposed to the incumbent president and government. Reportedly he escaped arrest only because of his diplomatic passport, which grants him immunity.
He acknowledged that he met Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in November, however flatly rejected that the meeting had something to do with his trip to Georgia. (DF Watch)
The de facto foreign ministry of occupied Abkhazia has responded to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who called on Russia to withdraw its troops and revoke the recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at the NATO Ministerial.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia describes the statement made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as a provocation that further escalates situation in the region. Such statements by European senior officials are directed at supporting the aggressor country, which has carried out many acts of genocide and armed aggression against the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," the de facto agency said.
The de facto Foreign Ministry emphasized that "the presence of Russian military units on the territory of Abkhazia is strictly regulated by inter-state agreements between Abkhazia and Russia".
"We would also like to remind NATO Secretary General that Russia's recognition of Abkhazia is ultimate and irreversible. The strengthening of military cooperation in the Georgia-NATO format creates additional threat to peace in the South Caucasus," the de facto Foreign Ministry said. (IPN)
Seven jailed Donbass Battalion members plead not guilty, go on hunger strike in Tbilisi
Seven jailed members of the Donbass Battalion have gone on hunger strike in Tbilisi, protesting their detention and claiming that the police planted illegal items.
The six Ukrainian and one Georgian citizen are charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and were placed in pre-trial detention by Tbilisi City Court on Tuesday.
During the court hearing, the detainees pleaded not guilty and claimed that Georgian authorities are using their arrest as part of its political agenda, as evidence that the opposition is planning to violently overthrow the government.
The seven are linked to Ukraine’s volunteer battalion ‘Donbass’, which has played a key role in the war against pro-Russian militia in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Donbass Battalion’s founder and commander, Semen Semenchenko, is a member of the Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada, and is strongly opposed to the incumbent president and government. Reportedly he escaped arrest only because of his diplomatic passport, which grants him immunity.
He acknowledged that he met Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in November, however flatly rejected that the meeting had something to do with his trip to Georgia. (DF Watch)