Russia urges Georgia to talk, not threaten

Russia’s Foreign Ministry is urging Georgia to stop provoking conflicts which could destabilise the region. It follows the recent incident in Georgia's Zoogdidi district between the Russian peacekeeping patrol and the Georgian security forces.

“In Moscow there are now concerns about the growing number of such incidents, which may destabilise the situation on Russia’s southern borders. And the Russian Foreign Ministry considers such acts as dangerous. But Moscow hopes common sense will prevail and the sides will return to negotiations in order to solve the conflicts peacefully,” Boris Malakhov, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative, said.

Earlier, the Georgian ambassador to the UN said his country wants the body to reconsider the format of the peacekeeping mission in the conflict zone between Georgia and its breakaway republic of Abkhazia.

Georgia wants CIS peacekeepers to be withdrawn from the region.

The Foreign minister of Abkhazia insists that if peacekeepers leave the region, war will break out.

CIS peacekeepers have been in the conflict zone since the end of the war between Georgia and Abkhazia in 1993.

In October, the UN Security Council praised the role of Russian peacekeepers in the region and issued a resolution to keep them there.

The speaker of the Abkhazian parliament Nugzar Ashuba says the Georgian government is using attacks on peacekeepers to distract attention ahead of a major opposition rally scheduled for November 2.