Turkish cargo ship detained in Abkhazia
Güncelleme Tarihi:
A Turkish cargo ship was detained by Georgian coastguards as it prepared to dock in the breakaway region of Abkhazia against a Georgian ban on docking there, officials said on Monday. Chief coastguard Koba Bochorishvili said that, the Tari Guner was detained outside the port of Sukhumi on Sunday, and was escorted with its eight passengers to the port of Poti which is under control of Georgia's central authorities in Tiblisi. Bochorishvili added that, "When the stop signal was issued the Vessel tried to change course and leave in the direction of the Russian port of Sochi."
"Building material s were found on board marked for delivery to Abkhazia," said Bochorishvili. "The ship's captain had previously received warnings from the Georgian coastguards after docking illegally in Abdhazia on prior occasions," he added.
The incident comes just after Georgia's foreign ministry recently in late June issued a reminder of the ban that was put in place last August. Landing at the port requires permission from Tblisi.
Georgian leader President Mikhail Saakashvili, known for his pro-western stance, has made it a priority to regain control of the breakaway territory, South Ossentia, since he came to power in a "rose revolution" at the end of 2003.
Both areas are widely seen as being propped up by Russia and centers for illicit trading.