Georgian opposition claims provocations during opening of Olympic Games in Sochi

The opposition and a number of public figures of Georgia say about provocations during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sochi, stating the presence in the stadium of Presidents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as clouds on the map of Georgia over these regions during the passage of the Georgian Olympians.

According to the Georgian Foreign Minister Maya Panjikidze, the clouds over the map of Georgia cannot be perceived as a provocation; and Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, the Deputy State Minister for Reconciliation, noted that the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were in Sochi in the status of private persons.

Let us remind you that on February 7, the 22nd Winter Olympic Games were opened in the "Fisht" Stadium in Sochi.

Russia arranged another provocation during the opening ceremony by deliberately ignoring the principle of territorial integrity of Georgia, say the members of the oppositional "United National Movement" (UNM). Moscow presented worldwide the image of Georgia without Abkhazia and South Ossetia, UNM activists say.

Georgian mass media also wrote that the official website of the Olympic Games has erased the data on the place of birth of Marika Pertakhiya, an athlete who competes in the mogul for Russia. According to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which is referred to by the "InterpressNews", the portal of the Olympic internal use Abkhazia, whence Pertakhiya comes, is referred to as the territory of Georgia.

Earlier it was reported that the government delegation of Georgia would not visit the Olympiad because of absence of diplomatic relations with Russia.