Deputy Russian FM believes neither Tskhinvali nor Abkhazia to be occupied

Neither Tskhinvali nor Abkhazia is occupied, said Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister.

“I do not understand what you are talking about when you use the term occupied territories,” Rudenko told the Georgian journalists in Geneva in response to their question about closed checkpoints at the so-called borders with the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.

According to Rudenko, Russia has agreements with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali concluded in line with international law.

“Neither Tskhinvali nor Abkhazia are occupied by anyone. We have agreements with them that are in line with international law. Based on these agreements, we render them assistance, including military. As for checkpoints, as I know, there are free and peaceful passes in Abkhazia used by the majority of ethnic Georgians,” Rudenko said.

Deputy Russian FM spoke about the 53rd round of Geneva International Discussions. He said discussions mainly focused on ensuring security in the South Caucasus region.

“A more important issue for us is to reach an agreement on non-use of force in the region. If there is any progress over this issue, resolution of other issues will be easier. Unfortunately, we have no progress in that regard, though all participants want to continue working on this issue,” Rudenko said.