SUKHUMI. July 27 (Interfax-AVN) - The Abkhaz Defense Ministry has refuted information published by a number of Georgian media organizations that leader of rebels in Kodori Gorge Emzar Kvitsiani was wounded.
"The situation near the village of Lata is calm and is controlled by Russian peacekeepers," Abkhaz Defense Minister Lieutenant General Sultan Sosnaliyev told Interfax on Wednesday.
"We received no information on fire exchanges in the village," he said, adding that Abkhaz units are deployed in the region as well.
Speaking about the possibility that Kvitsiani may enter Abkhaz territory controlled by Sukhumi, Sosnaliyev said that "any Georgian citizen who enters our territory with arms in his hands will be detained. I would like to stress the fact that Kvitsiani has never been our ally, and he is famed for an attack at Abkhazia along with Ruslan Gelayev's Chechen militants."