Tbilisi could ease fuel shortages in occupied Abkhazia within legal framework, PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said Georgia could take steps to ease the situation for residents in the currently Russian-controlled Abkhazia region, including by facilitating access to fuel, provided all such measures comply with Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories.

Responding to a question about fuel being transported from the country into the occupied territory, Kobakhidze said the existing legal framework allowed for measures aimed at supporting the population living there.

"If we can ease the situation, including for the population living in Abkhazia, we will do so, but we will do it within the framework of the Law on Occupied Territories," Kobakhidze said.

He pointed to the government's "A Step to a Better Future" programme, which is designed to support people living in the occupied territories, including both Georgian and Abkhaz communities.

Kobakhidze said the government itself had not brought fuel into the region, adding that the fuel had been supplied by businesses.

He reiterated that any similar measures would be implemented within the framework of the Law on Occupied Territories.