The United States voiced on Monday its grave concern over Georgia's allegation that a Russian jet fighter shot down an unmanned Georgian plane over the weekend.
"In terms of this specific instance, we're still seeking information from the Russian government about this," said State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey, who declined to support Georgia's accusation against Russia.
"We've been coordinating closely with the Georgian government and we're seeking information from the Russians to try and give us a clearer assessment of whether that, in fact, is true or not."
However, the spokesman noted that "We are very concerned about this ... There have been a number of provocative incidents that have occurred in the past. We would hate to see a repeat of that or anything that would be increasing tensions between two neighbors who we would hope would be able to have good relations with one another."
Casey made the remarks hours after Georgia confirmed Monday that one of its unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was shot down near its breakaway region Abkhazia by a MiG-29 fighter jet.
"The Georgian side has the technical evidence that on April 20 a Russian MiG-29 brought down a drone patrolling the country's airspace," an air force spokesman of the Caucasus state said.
Russia denied the allegation, saying the MiG-29 does not belong to its air force.
Relations between Russia and Georgia were strained due to Russia's support for the breakaway region as well as Tbilisi's bid for NATO membership despite Moscow's objection.
The United States pledged to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, stressing "No state should be taking actions that would violate that."
Source:Xinhua
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