Amid protests, Abkhazia restricts crossing the border with Georgia

In the context of mass protests in Georgia, citizens of Abkhazia are temporarily prohibited to enter Georgia, the Abkhaz State Security Service (SSS) announced on June 27.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that protest actions in Georgia are being held daily starting from June 20. The protesters have demanded from the authorities to release the detainees, to dismiss Interior Minister Giorgi Gakhariya, and to hold parliamentary elections under a proportional system.

In Georgia, mass protests are held, among other places, in the Zugdidi District, bordering on Abkhazia, the SSS reported on its website on June 27, believing that protests are provocative in nature and affect the statehood of Abkhazia.

Because of the protests, it was decided to temporarily limit "the entry of foreign citizens from the territory of Georgia and the departure of citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia to the territory of Georgia," said the SSS, not specifying the period for which restrictions were introduced.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 28, 2019 at 08:15 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.