Moscow Has ‘No Plans’ To Lift Its Transport Blockade of Georgia

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MOSCOW — The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said there are “no plans” to lift a blockade of Georgia, a day after the Georgian government freed four Russian soldiers accused of spying.

“We are worried by the anti-Russian rhetoric coming from the Georgian leadership in terms that imply Russia is an enemy,” Mr. Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow yesterday. He said he “can’t understand” why Georgia plans to be able to mobilize reservists within 48 hours.

Russia said on Monday that it was cutting road, rail, air, and sea links with Georgia, as well as halting postal services and blocking money transfers. The announcement came before the soldiers’ release.

The speaker of the Russian Duma, the lower house of parliament, Boris Gryzlov, said on state television yesterday that remittances from Georgians working in Russia, officially worth $350 million last year, were probably closer to $1 billion.

The dispute erupted when Georgia arrested the soldiers September 27 and accused them of espionage. On Monday, Georgia handed them over to the Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht of Belgium, which holds the rotating presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The organization handed the men over to Russian authorities on Monday and they were flown to Moscow on Monday night. The OSCE called on Russia to lift the blockade after the soldiers were released.


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