Tbilisi thanks Minsk for supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity

October 13, Pozirk. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has expressed gratitude to Belarus for supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the Georgian government — a gesture that signals a thaw in relations strained by Alaksandar Łukašenka’s controversial visit to Abkhazia a few years ago.

Although Belarus has not officially recognized Abkhazia’s independence, Minsk’s dealings with the break-away region was a source of tension with Tbilisi until recently.

During their meeting today, Kobakhidze and Belarusian Ambassador Mikałaj Rahaščuk discussed ways to strengthen economic and other ties.

According to the Belarusian embassy, Rahaščuk delivered a congratulatory message from Łukašenka “on the occasion of successful elections to local governments.” The officials also discussed preparations for a meeting of the intergovernmental economic commission.

Rahaščuk, formerly an aide to Łukašenka, was appointed ambassador in May and presented his credentials to the Georgian president in September.

Relations between Minsk and Tbilisi had soured after Łukašenka’s September 2022 trip to Abkhazia — Georgia’s breakaway region — which he visited without notifying Georgian authorities. During that visit, he met with Abkhazia’s separatist leader Aslan Bzhania, who later traveled to Minsk. Tbilisi condemned Łukašenka’s contacts with representatives of the unrecognized entity.

In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, supporting separatist movements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Georgia has been one of the primary destinations for Belarusians fleeing politically motivated repression that has continued unabated since the 2020 crackdown on post-election protests. However, over the past six years, Tbilisi has not granted asylum to a single Belarusian applicant.

Following Łukašenka’s visit to Abkhazia, the region’s prime minister approved the transfer of 20 hectares of land to a company reportedly controlled by the Belarusian ruler’s former bodyguard, according to the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC).

The investigation found that former bodyguard Alaksandar Ramanoŭski serves as CEO of Termalia, which holds a 90-percent stake in OOO Zhemchuzhina 2010, the company that received the land.

A month after the visit, an Abkhaz television station reported that the plot was allocated for the construction of a $260-million health resort in the village of Kyndyg on the Black Sea coast, in the Ochamchire region.

Łukašenka: relations with Georgia improving