TBILISI (AFP) - The Caucasian republic of Georgia protested angrily at what it saw as a veiled threat of action by its neighbour Russia over the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, now virtually a Russian protectorate.
The protest came after Russia`s foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko responded Friday to unrest in Abkhazia by saying Moscow was closely following the situation and would be obliged to defend its interests if necessary.
Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili said in a statement: "Georgia protests against the announcement by the Russian foreign ministry indicating that Russia would be obliged to take all necessary measures to defend its interests in Abkhazia, should the situation become aggravated."
Zurabishvili later Saturday called on Russia to show restraint regarding events in Abkhazia.
"We propose that Russia show restraint, so as not to allow a destabilization of the situation in Georgia`s region of Abkhazia," Zurabishvili said on Rustavi-2 television.
A crisis between rival leaders in Abkhazia has escalated sharply leading to new tensions between Russia and its former fellow-member of the Soviet Union Georgia, now an independent country.
Tensions arose from a dispute over the outcome of an election to choose a president for Abkhazia, which has had de facto independence from Georgia for over a decade.
The ethnic minority of Abkhazia has had an uneasy special status in relations with the rest of Georgia since an armed conflict during 1992-93, following Georgian independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Georgia is anxious about neighbouring Russia`s involvement in Abkhazia, where anti-Georgian leaders are supported -- some say guided -- by Moscow, in efforts to keep the central government in Georgia at bay.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshinin dismissed Georgian criticism as unfounded in a meeting Saturday with Georgia` ambassador in Moscow, insisting that Russia had legimitate concerns over stability in Abkhazia on its southern border, RIA-Novosti reported.
Supporters of Sergei Bagapsh, the contested winner of last month`s presidential poll in Abkhazia, Friday stormed the regional administration building occupied by his pro-Moscow rival.
Security guards protecting his Kremlin-backed opponent Raul Khajimba fired shots in the air, news reports said.
"These actions can only be described as a coup d`etat," Khajimba said on Russian television Saturday.
The fact that he and his ministers had fled the administration building "doesn`t mean there is no government," he said.
"The ministry of defence is still functioning," he said, as Russian media reported that the Abkhaz armed forces had been placed on a state of alert.
Several people were wounded and one killed in the incident in Sukhumi, the Abkhaz presidency said in a statement reported by Interfax news agency.
Bagpash later persuaded his followers to disperse quietly, telling them: "We came to power legally and in conformity with the Abkhaz constitution."
The incident came after the two rivals failed to reach an agreement over the results of an October 3 vote in the region, which has effectively become a Russian protectorate and does not recognize Georgia`s rule.
Bagapsh was declared the surprise winner, and the region`s top court first confirmed the results, before annulling them a few hours later in controversial circumstances.
The court then ordered another round of elections, but Bagapsh has refused to accept the ruling.
Georgia says the ballot was illegitimate anyway because the province is part of Georgia, despite a unilateral declaration of independence and de facto autonomy since the 1992-93 war.
The new pro-US leadership in Georgia has had increasingly tense relations with Moscow as it seeks to reassert central authority over two separatist republics backed by Russia after bringing one defiant region to heel.
11/13/2004 - 22:46 GMT - AFP