19:24, 4 May 2017

Georgian MFA condemns Putin's meeting with Bibilov

Anatoly Bibilov at the meeting with Vladimir Putin. Sochi, May 2, 2017. Photo: press service of the President of the Republic of South Ossetia

Vladimir Putin's meeting with Anatoly Bibilov on May 2 in Sochi is a violation of the international law, said David Zalkaliani, Deputy Head of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

At the meeting, Anatoly Bibilov, the newly elected head of South Ossetia, noted the invariability of the course towards integration with the Russian Federation.

Mr Putin, for his part, noted that Russia and South Ossetia are implementing a number of joint programmes in the sphere of security and economic development.

On March 31, the Defence Ministers of Russia and South Ossetia signed an agreement on the incorporation of units from South Ossetia into the Russian Army. David Dondua, another Deputy Head of the Georgian MFA, has treated it as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Putin's meeting with Bibilov, which is "a rather provoking step," was held at the backdrop of Russian President's meeting with leaders of European countries, said Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, the Georgia's Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality.

In his turn, David Zalkaliani has treated Putin-Bibilov meeting as a violation of the international law and a continuation of Russia's "illegal and destructive policy" in the region, the "News-Georgia" reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.