Georgia Protests Visit Of Turkish Journalists To Abkhazia

Georgia's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Turkish ambassador in Tbilisi, Zeki Levent Gumrukcu, over the visit of Turkish journalists to the breakaway region of Abkhazia.

About 80 members of the Federation of Turkish Journalists (TGF) visited Abkhazia on May 9-12 via Russia.

They held the federation's 44th assembly, as well as the first congress of Turkish and Abkhaz journalists, both in Sukhumi. They also met with senior separatist Abkhaz officials.

Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze said on May 13 that the visit was a violation of Georgia’s law on occupied territories.

Moscow recognized Abkhazia and Georgia's other breakaway region of South Ossetia as independent states after a short war with Tbilisi in August 2008.

Russia has been keeping troops in the separatist regions since then.

Georgia considers the two regions as its territories.
With reporting by Civil.ge