The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia on the day of the anniversary of the August 2008 war “infringes upon the principle of Georgia’s territorial integrity and risks jeopardizing international efforts directed at the peaceful resolution of the conflict,” the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia said in a brief statement released on August 9.

The Russian President met Moscow-backed Abkhaz leader Raul Khajimba in Bichvinta (Pitsunda), a town in the occupied region, on August 8 and discussed Moscow’s ties with Sokhumi in the fields of defense, police, economy and healthcare.

The meeting came a week after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited Georgia.

“The Delegation recalls the firm support of the European Union for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,” the EU Delegation added.