UNITED NATIONS (NEW YORK), May 29 (RIA Novosti) - The head of the United Nations has dismissed a claim by Georgia that he was forced to amend a report on the UN Caucasus mission due to Russian "blackmail", and called the allegation "unfortunate."
Earlier this week, Georgian UN Ambassador Alexander Lomaia accused Russia of pressuring UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to change the title of a report to avoid calling Abkhazia a part of Georgia. He said Russia threatened to veto the document.
"The claim by the Georgian Permanent Representative that the Secretary-General amended his report on Georgia in response to 'Russian blackmail' is categorically rejected. The statement itself is very unfortunate," Ban's spokesperson said in a statement on the UN website.
The report has not been published.
Abkhazia was recognized by Russia as an independent state last fall, along with South Ossetia, following the attack by Georgia on South Ossetia and the ensuing Russia-Georgia war. All other UN members except Nicaragua consider Abkhazia to be a part of Georgia.
Commenting on Georgia's claim, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said: "The allegation is surprising because it's not true in any regard."
Lomaia said Russia made its threats during a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East on May 11, attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"I say this with complete accountability. I know about this from very reliable sources," Lomaia said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Churkin said that he was also at the Security Council meeting with the secretary general.
"First of all, Russia did not threaten any kind of veto during the process of working on the Secretary General's report, but only gave its opinion on some aspects of the content of the report, including a chapter heading that was in the report. Secondly, it turns out that [Lomaia's] sources of information are unreliable, and he was speaking without the accountability he had in his statement," Churkin said.
Since recognizing Abkhazia, along with South Ossetia, Russia has strengthened ties with both republics, setting up embassies, policing their borders, and providing financial aid.
