Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Friday that it was important Belarus not to recognise the independence of Georgia’s Russian controlled Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, following the recent visit of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko to Abkhazia.

“For us, it is absolutely unacceptable for the leader of a foreign country to enter the territory of Georgia without agreement with the Georgian authorities. On the other hand, it is important that Belarus, which has been committed to the policy of non-recognition, remains within this policy. I hope that diplomatic steps taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and statements from our side have reached the addressees and an adequate reaction will follow”, said Papuashvili. 

He stressed that Belarus-Georgia relations “does not deserve” the crossing the “red line”. 

Russia recognised the Georgian regions as independent states after the Russia-Georgia 2008 war. Since then only Venezuela, Nikaragua, Nauru and Syria have joined the illegal move widely condemned by the international community.