Abkhazia Slams Call For Russian Forces To Withdraw

President Sergei Bagapsh called the parliament's initiative a "destructive political decision."

Georgia's parliament on July 18 called for the Russian peacekeeping troops in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be replaced by international forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded on July 19 to the resolution by telling Georgia not to interfere in its peacekeeping work.

Lavrov told the "Ekho Moskvy" radio station that Georgia "was systematically sabotaging" efforts to resolve the conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

(AP, Reuters)