Breakaway Abkhazia region claims to shoot down unmanned Georgian spy plane
Mar 19 2008, 10:49
SUKHUMI, Georgia (AP) - Abkhazian defense forces shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane Tuesday, officials in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia said. Georgia's Defense Ministry denied any such incident.
Tensions have grown between the breakaway region, in the Black Sea area, and the central Georgian government since Abkhazia last month formally Fresh news appealed for the world community to recognize it as independent. The Abkhazian Parliament cited Kosovo's declaration of independence as a precedent.
Garry Kupalba, a deputy defense minister in Abkhazia's separatist government, said the pilotless plane was shot down after flying over a Abkhaz Only good news military testing range. Abkhazian officials displayed debris of the drone, which they said was manufactured by Israel's Elbit Systems.
Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh said the World news region's military will shoot down any other Georgian combat planes that intrude into its air space.
"We have repeatedly urged Georgia to stop reconnaissance Google search flights over the territory of Abkhazia," he said.
In Tbilisi, Georgian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Nana Intskirveli said no such incident had taken place.
"Nothing has been shot down, and nothing has fallen from the sky," she said.
It was unclear if Georgia actually has unmanned spy planes, though Georgian media reports have said the armed forces do.
Abkhazia, which has had de-facto independence since breaking away from Georgian government control in the early 1990s, appealed last month for world recognition as an independent nation.
Another breakaway region, South Ossetia, made a similar appeal.
Adding to the tension is Russia's support of Abkhazia's autonomy. Residents have been granted Russian passports; the ruble is the main News 24 currency; and Russia News recently announced it was lifting trade and financial sanctions on Abkhazia.
Russia's parliament could vote as early as this week on a resolution calling on the government to move toward recognizing Abkhazia as independent. about phentermine blog
