DUSHANBE
, July 11, Asia-Plus –
Georgia
has recalled its ambassador from
Russia
in connection with recent developments in its breakaway republics of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia
, the Georgian foreign minister said Thursday.
The move came shortly after
Russia
admitted it had sent aircraft to monitor the situation in
South Ossetia
earlier this week due to fears of a Georgian invasion of the de facto independent republic.
“We are very much indignant at
Russia
”s aggressive policy. We will take some forceful diplomatic steps in order to respond adequately to
Russia
”s actions. From today, we are recalling our ambassador in
Russia
for consultations,” Yekaterina Tkeshelashvili said.
Earlier in the day, the Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned Alexander Smagu, the minister-counselor at the Russian Embassy in
Tbilisi
, and handed him a note of protest in connection with the recent flights.
A senior Georgian Air Force official said on Wednesday that two Russian fighters had flown into Georgian airspace and were later joined by two other aircraft.
Russia
also said that
Georgia
had sent fighters to the conflict zone on Tuesday.
South Ossetia and another Georgian breakaway republic, Abkhazia, have been the source of rising tensions between
Georgia
and
Russia
of late.
Moscow
recently moved to establish closer ties with the separatist regions and sent additional peacekeepers into Abkhazia, saying they were needed to deter “new bloodshed.”
Georgia
has accused
Moscow
of trying to annex its territory.
Four people were killed in an explosion in a cafe in Abkhazia on Sunday, and two more died in a clash with Georgian troops in
South Ossetia
last week.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during her visit to
Georgia
on Thursday that
Russia
should help
Georgia
resolve conflicts with its breakaway regions rather than exacerbate them, and urged the countries to refrain from violence.
“It [
Russia
] needs to be a part of resolving the problem and solving the problem and not contributing to it. I have said it to the Russians publicly. I have said it privately,” she told a news conference in
Tbilisi
.
