Abkhazia has no plans to introduce visa regime with Georgia

Abkhazia has no plans to introduce visa requirements for Georgian nationals, the republic's president, Sergei Bagapsh, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, July 15 (RIA Novosti) - Abkhazia has no plans to introduce visa requirements for Georgian nationals, the republic's president, Sergei Bagapsh, told the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Wednesday.

However, he said that the former Georgian republic could close the border with Georgia in the event of hostile actions by Tbilisi.

"It all depends on Georgia ...If it once again resorts to provocations, terrorist attacks and abductions, we will seal the border," Bagapsh said.

Any person crossing the Georgian-Abkhazian border would require a special entrance permit, to be issued at border checkpoints, Bagapsh said.

He also said that Abkhazia was willing to "establish normal, neighborly relations with any country."

Abkhazian Deputy Foreign Minister Maxim Gvindzhia told RIA Novosti by phone on Tuesday that representatives of Georgia and Abkhazia would meet every two weeks to discuss the prevention of border incidents, in line with agreements reached during the fourth round of the Geneva talks on the South Caucasus region.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another former Georgian republic, as independent states after last August's five-day war with Georgia, which attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

On April 30, Russia signed joint border protection agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Under the agreements, Russia will guard the Abkhaz and South Ossetian borders, including maritime frontiers, until both republics form their own border guard services. The agreements, for an initial five years, can be renewed upon expiration.