The Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador in Tbilisi Vyacheslav Kovalenko on February 6 to express a protest over a Russian official's visit to breakaway Abkhazia without the authorization of the Georgian authorities.

Andrei Kelin, the Director of the Fourth CIS Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry visited Abkhazia, but the visit “was held without the Georgian side’s consent,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in an information note.

“It was emphasized that such acts of the Russian officials and, in particular, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are seen as completely disrespectful towards Georgia’s legitimate requirements, and not only do they not contribute to the process of peaceful resolution of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, but they cause serious damage to the bilateral relations between Georgia and Russia, which have recently displayed a certain positive dynamic,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.