30-05-2014, 09:32 PM
In my time as IJD the starting point for any venue with doubts over security was home office advice on travel to that country.
In the case of Batumi it is worth noting that the town is on the Black Sea coast close to the border with Turkey. The disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not adjacent to Batumi.
The Crimea is a few hundred miles away along the Black sea coast.
On that coast between Georgia and Crimea is the winter Olympics venue of Sochi.
I don't recall many concerns being expressed about security in Sochi at the time of the winter Olympics but there again the Ukraine-Russia situation escalated seriously after the games had finished.
In the case of Batumi it is worth noting that the town is on the Black Sea coast close to the border with Turkey. The disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not adjacent to Batumi.
The Crimea is a few hundred miles away along the Black sea coast.
On that coast between Georgia and Crimea is the winter Olympics venue of Sochi.
I don't recall many concerns being expressed about security in Sochi at the time of the winter Olympics but there again the Ukraine-Russia situation escalated seriously after the games had finished.