Amid visit from leader of breakaway region, Turkey affirms Georgia's integrity

Coinciding with the arrival of the leader of the Moscow-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia for a four-day visit to Turkey, the Foreign Ministry yesterday issued a statement expressing support for Georgia's territorial integrity. "Turkey fully shares the sensitivity of Georgia concerning its territorial integrity," said the statement. "In that respect, Turkey respects and supports the territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, a policy that remains a fundamental position." The visit of Abkhazia's Sergei Bagapsh is not an official one, added the statement, which did not address Bagapsh as the region's president.