Abkhazia Declares EU Diplomat Persona Non Grata

SUKHUMI, Georgia -- Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia has declared the head of the European Union's Monitoring Mission in Georgia "persona non grata."

Abkhazia's de facto Foreign Ministry said Andrzej Tyszkiewicz, a diplomat from Poland, had been ignoring Abkhazia’s requests and was disrespectful "to the Abkhaz nation."

The EU monitoring team and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe  conduct monthly meetings with Russian, Georgian, and Abkhaz officials aimed at easing tensions in the region.

Abkhaz officials refused to take part in the most recent meeting, on April 24, in Abkhazia's Gali district.

Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another Georgian separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent states after the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Georgian and Echo of the Caucasus services