PARIS, August 14 (RIA Novosti) - The Council of Europe secretary general condemned on Friday a recent explosion in Abkhazia, which killed two and injured seven people, as a terrorist act.
A bomb exploded in the former Georgian republic during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit on Wednesday, the first visit by a senior Russian official since Moscow recognized the region's independence after a brief war with Georgia last summer.
No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
"These tragic events can only be described as terrorism, and it is time for everyone in the South Caucasus to recognize that terrorism is a crime and totally unacceptable in today's Europe," Terry Davis said in a statement on the website of the pan-European human rights body.
"A week ago, many international organizations expressed concern that the rhetoric employed by politicians in Georgia and Russia might lead to renewed violence on the anniversary of the war between these countries. I am relieved that the anniversary has passed without the escalation which worried us, but we must condemn the explosion in Abkhazia in recent days," Davis said.
Relations between Russia and Georgia have remained strained since last August's war over South Ossetia, which Moscow also recognized, and tensions have persisted in the border area fueling fears of a new conflict.
Putin's visit to Abkhazia was criticized by the European Union and the United States as not contributing to stabilization in the region, with both urging Russia to respect Georgia's territorial integrity.
On Friday, Abkhazia marks the 17th anniversary of an armed conflict with Georgia, one of the bloodiest in the post-Soviet area. It erupted when Abkhazia broke away from Tbilisi in 1992 after 60 years as a Soviet-era Georgian autonomy. Abkhazia has maintained a de facto independence since September 1993.
