The European Union assesses the arrival of Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarussian president,  to Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia region as a violation of international law, said Peter Stano, the spokesperson of the European Commission, at a briefing held in Brussels on Thursday, a day after the visit. 

“Apart from the fact that Lukashenko lacks any legitimacy to act as a head of state, this visit was not done in consent with the Georgian authorities, which are the only legitimate authorities of the region of Abkhazia. This visit is a violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and constitutes a blatant violation of international law”, Stano said.

The EU official stressed that “I can confirm the firm and strong support of the European Union to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders”. 

Lukashenko arrived in occupied Abkhazia on September 28, where he met the de facto president of occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania.

It was the Belarus president’s first visit to the region since in office, on the background of Russia’s war in Ukraine.