Sukhum/Agency Caucasus – The Abkhazian administration responded to accusations from Georgia that Abkhazia took in heavy weaponry from Russia.
Garik Samanba, President of Abkhazian Parliament’s Committee of Defense and National Security, said that Abkhazia would not need to import heavy armament from Russia because the country is capable of defending itself with its own weaponry.
Samanba said that the Georgian administration came up with such allegations because it tried to divert the attention it was getting while it had to deal with resistance from the opposition. "The democratic values of Georgia actually got damaged," said Samanba. "The Georgian administration is therefore trying to cover up this kind of damage to its democratic system of government amid allegations that Russian tanks were brought in to Abkhazia. It also aims at proving itself right, in discordance with the whole world."
David Bakradze, the Georgian statesman in charge of the conflict regions, said the day before yesterday that there was a move of armed troops in to Abkhazia. Sergei Chaban, the Peace Forces Commander of the Commonwealth of Independent States, however, disagreed with Bakradze’s allegations. KU/ÖZ/FT
