Reports about Chechen fighters' arrival in Tbilisi untrue - ministry
TBILISI. May 19 (Interfax) - The Georgian Interior Minsitry has dismissed reports by Iranian mass media about 97 Chechen militants, who fought in Syria, arriving at Tbilisi airport from Istanbul on May 11, ostensibly to enter Russia through the Pankisi Gorge.
"Reports about the arrival in Georgia of Chechen militants from Istanbul are a blatant disinformation. We are calling on Georgian mass media to refrain from publishing similar unverified reports which may cause serious damage to Georgian national interests," the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Last week Georgian mass media, citing the Iranian Fars news agency, reported the arrival in Tbilisi of Chechen militants, who fought in Syria. The Georgian media, however, could not confirm this information.
