Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a phone conversation that Tbilisi is “extremely concerned” about the shelling of villages in the upper Kodori Gorge of breakaway Abkhazia on March 11.

Bezhuashvili noted during the conversation that Tbilisi has evidence confirming that army helicopters entered into Georgian airspace from the Russian Federation and shelled the villages, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry has also requested “an immediate explanation” of the incident.

“The two ministers have agreed to again discuss the issue after the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) unveils its findings in the incident,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

In a separate statement issued also on March 12 the Georgian Foreign Ministry said that it has requested UNOMIG to investigate the shelling of villages in upper Kodori Gorge.