EU and NATO are concerned about the incident in Lopota Gorge in Georgia

In connection with the clashes of Georgian special units with an armed grouping in Lopota Gorge, the NATO Headquarters hosted a sitting of the NATO-Georgia Commission. Also, a statement expressing concern about the incident was issued by the European Union.

The EU is concerned about the hostage-taking incident in Georgia by an armed gang at the Dagestani section of the Georgian-Russian border, Michael Mann, the spokesman for the EU chief of diplomacy Catherine Ashton, said on August 30.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and now find out from the local authorities the circumstances of what happened," Mr Mann told journalists in Brussels.

The NATO headquarters in Brussels has convened the NATO-Georgia Commission on the occasion of worsened situation in Lopota Gorge. Having read the report of Nugzar Mgaloblishvili, the Georgian representative at the NATO, experts have expressed concern about the situation. However, the participants of the sitting have expressed the need to find a solution to the problem on the basis of internationally accepted norms.

"The EU Observation Mission is following the developments on the Georgian-Dagestani border. We were informed by the Georgian authorities about the special operation conducted on the Georgian-Russian border," says the statement.