MANILA, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian officials never considered involving Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia in preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held the nearby Russian city of Sochi, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
Sergei Lavrov, asked by a journalist whether the region would supply construction materials, said: "No Russian officials ever proposed such a possibility."
Last week media reports said that Russia intends to place key construction facilities in Abkhazia for building Olympic infrastructure.
Georgia's Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze said July 27 his country had no information about Russia's official position on the issue.
Abkhazia proclaimed its independence from Georgia in 1993, but has not been recognized by the international community.