The Georgian government said the reversal of Russian decisions over Abkhazia, including the establishment of legal links with the breakaway region, should be in the first stage “of any peace process.”

In a written statement issued late on July 22, the government said it “welcomed the active involvement of Germany in advancing the peace process.”

“However, as presented, the German plan does not address the proximate cause of the recent, dangerous escalation that has taken place in the conflict zones – the role and actions of the Russian Federation,” the statement reads.

“Russia has been a central player in degrading security in Georgia. As the first stage in any peace process, the Government of Georgia seeks the reversal of the legal, military, and economic violations of Georgian sovereignty resulting from Russia’s actions.”

In early March Russia pulled out from the 1996 CIS treaty on the imposition of sanctions on Abkhazia. In April, then Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is now the prime minister, issued a decree instructing state agencies to establish links with breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The move was then followed by the deployment of additional troops in Abkhazia in late April. In late May Russia sent its Railway Forces to Abkhazia to rehabilitate the region’s railway infrastructure.