TBILISI. Feb 12 (Interfax) - The Georgian Foreign Ministry made a statement on Tuesday in commenting on Russia's and Abkhazia's decision to simplify procedures for foreigners to visit Abkhazia during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
"This decision is just another provocative action against Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is aimed at misleading foreign citizens," the Georgian Foreign Ministry statement says.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry has called on the national delegations and individuals attending the Olympics in Sochi to refrain from visiting "Georgia's occupied regions."
In line with the Georgian law On Occupied Territories, Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) are subject to a special legal regime restricting free movement on these territories.
The Georgian law stipulates that foreign citizens can enter Abkhazia only from the Zugdidi municipality and the Tskhinvali region from the Gori municipality, it said.
The violation of the Georgian law On Occupied Territories is considered a crime in Georgia and is punishable in keeping with the Georgian Criminal Code, the ministry said.
"The Foreign Ministry is once again appealing to all countries participating in the Olympics to urge their citizens to refrain from entering the occupied regions in violation of Georgian law," it said.