Georgian Defense Minister David Kezerashvili said that the blasts in the Abkhaz capital Sukhumi and Abkhazia's Black Sea resort of Gagra could be the result of turf wars between various criminal groups operating in the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia.
"It is very unserious to be blaming everything on Georgia. First of all, and we have repeatedly said this, Abkhazia is an uncontrolled territory where multiple armed gangs are operating, which clash with one another from time to time. Apparently, it was another clash, a part of a criminal turf war, that just took place," as he told journalists.
Georgian Defense Minister recommended the Abkhaz authorities not to blame Georgia for the blasts, but to "take a closer look at what's going on in their own backyard".
He also pointed to the international community at the "need to establish control on the uncontrolled territories in order to avoid bloodshed in the future".
According to Mr. Kezerashvili, Georgia is ready for such work. Mr. Kezerashvili explained that "the newly-developed peace plan implies the inadmissibility of such incidents".
Six people were injured when two blasts went off at a market in Sukhumi on Monday, a day after six people were injured by two bombs in Gagra.
Sergei Shamba, the foreign minister of Abkhazia, announced that starting July 1, Abkhazia would close its border with Georgia (which he said was behind the blasts). According to him, "The closure of the border is only a temporary measure as we want to guarantee safety for tourists as well as for our citizens."
Shamba said, "We have no doubt that the recent blasts in Sukhumi and Gagra were organized by Georgian special services."
Shamba also said that most likely, the border would remain closed until the end of the tourist season.
"Let's see how the situation unfolds. Maybe we will open the border before the end of the tourist season. Or maybe we will have to keep it closed," Abkhazian minister added.
Kavkaz Center
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