SUKHUMI, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - A bomb that exploded in the former Georgian republic of Abkhazia during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit claimed the lives of two people and injured another seven, an Abkhaz official said on Thursday.
Putin's one-day trip on Wednesday was the first visit by a high-level Russian delegation to the republic since Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence last August after a five-day war with Georgia over South Ossetia, which Moscow also recognized.
Abkhaz Deputy Foreign Minister Ramin Gablaya said that the blast that struck the Black Sea resort town of Gagra killed a groundskeeper and a telephone cable worker.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The groundskeeper, Lyudmila Surina, 52, was killed as she approached a garbage dumpster where the explosive device had been planted. David Metreveli, 25, was also killed as he passed by.
A family of three suffered shrapnel injuries and are reported to be in satisfactory condition in a local hospital. Four others received medical treatment at the scene.
Speaking at a news conference during a brief visit to the former Georgian republic's capital on Wednesday, Putin said that Moscow saw Sukhumi as a reliable partner and vowed that if necessary Russia would defend Abkhazia.
"Now that the Abkhazian people have survived the war and the economic blockade, with Russia providing systematic political, economic and if required military assistance, Abkhazians will cope with the task of economic recovery," Putin said.
The premier also touched on the issue of foreign observers, reiterating that Russia was in favor of international organizations, including the UN or OSCE, operating in the region, but emphasized that they should first recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia before sending monitors in.
Russia has maintained peacekeepers in the region since the bloody post-Soviet conflicts in the early 1990s, when Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia. It deployed more troops there after last year's war with Georgia, which launched an attack on South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control over the republic.
Nicaragua has been the only other country to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The West condemned Russia's "excessive" use of force against the Caucasus state and recognition of the territories, while Moscow accused Western powers of supporting Georgian aggression.
