MFA of Georgia Calls on Lukashenko to Respect Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Georgia Amid Aslan Bzhania's Visit to Minsk
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
The De Facto President of Occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, met with the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.
The President of Belarus thanked Bzhania for his visit and told Bzhania that Belarus, Georgia and the so-called Republic of Abkhazia should 'unite'. Lukashenko himself arrived in occupied Sukhumi on September 28.
"Why shouldn't we visit each other? I ask this question, I have not heard why it is necessary to intensify relations based on this. On the contrary, our relations should be united. We are not giant states to divide several countries and people. We should be closer with each other in this difficult period: Tbilisi, Sukhumi, and Minsk. We should all somehow unite, strive towards each other. In this context, I will discuss your visit to Belarus and thank you once again for fulfilling your promise and coming to us," said Lukashenko.
In turn, Bzhania told him that his words will be heard by many, including in Georgia, and he hopes that his "wise words will reach the hearts of these people." Before visiting Minsk, Bzhania was in Moscow.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia responded to the meeting between Lukashenko and Bzhania and condemned the meeting of the President of Belarus with the representatives of the Russian occupation regime.
MFA of Georgia called on Belarus to respect the sovereignty and territorial Integrity of Georgia:
"The mentioned action grossly violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within the internationally recognized borders and represents an attempt to legitimize the Russian occupation regime.
We call on Belarus to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within the internationally recognized borders, to stop taking actions that contradict the fundamental principles and norms of international law," the statement reads.
