Georgia says Russian claims are “false”

Tbilisi says Russia’s claim that Georgia is assisting Al Qaeda is “false”. A Georgian Foreign Ministry statement calls the allegations “absurd” and a “preplanned campaign” against Georgia. The statement followed claims made by Alexander Bortnikov, Head of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB), on October 13 that Georgian secret service agencies were helping Al Qaeda send fighters and weaponry to Chechnya and Dagestan.

“This is not the first case in which, by circulating false information, Russia tries to blame Georgia for the catastrophic situation Russia has created itself in the North Caucasus region,” the Foreign Ministry Statement reads “The Kremlin realises that its attempts to control the situation are in vain and is running to use already tested Soviet methods, trying to disguise its weakness by creating an external enemy,” it continues.

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry Russia is using any excuse to “maximally tension” the situation at the Georgian borders and “create a background for carrying out military provocations against a peaceful, democratic state.” “Moscow has once more confirmed the aggressiveness of today’s Russia, which does not respect international norms and principles or its international commitments,” the MFA statement says.

The FSB chief said on Tuesday that audio materials had “confirmed” that Georgian special services had contacts with Al Qaeda emissaries. Bortnikov claimed that with Georgia’s participation “they organised the entry of terrorists to the territory of Chechnya.” The FSB chief also accused Georgia of delivering “weapons, explosive materials and funding for staging acts of sabotage in Dagestan.”