The Georgian-Abkhazian Tension Renews in Montenegro

Georgian authorities prevented the show of Abkhazian exhibition in Montenegro.

The 25th International Tourism Exchange and Tourism Fair was organized in Montenegro between 21 and 23 April.

Abkhazia, the disputed region of Georgia, participated in international fair as an independent state. Georgian officials asked Montenegro to shut down Abkhazian pavilion in the exhibition and Montenegro accepted this request.

Gennadi Gagulia, the head of the Chamber of Commerce of Abkhazia said: “By the end of the day, police surrounded our pavilion. The government of Montenegro instructed them to immediately close our exposition. They said that Montenegro’s MFA received a complaint from the MFA of Georgia. After we categorically refused to comply, they realized that they couldn’t remove us by force, so they brought a tarp and covered the exposition with it from all sides,” DF Watch reported.

The disputed Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry published a statement on their website about the incident and blamed the attitudes of Montenegro and Georgia, “The Montenegro government’s position is puzzling, which issued permit to the Chamber of Commerce of Abkhazia to participate in the exhibition, and followed the tastes of the Georgian side and rudely demanded from the Abkhazian delegation to leave the exhibition center. Instead of supporting the efforts of the newly independent Republic of Abkhazia to establish and develop relations with European countries, the state of Montenegro, which itself has been recognized a decade ago, indulge anti-Abkhazian Georgian actions aimed at the isolation of Abkhazia. In this regard, the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry is considering the possibility of legal response to the unfriendly actions of the Montenegrin side.”

Abkhazia is a breakaway region of Georgia and recognized by Russia along with three countries. Five-day war occurred in 2008 between Georgia and Russia over the territory.