Abkhazia may hold exercises as response to Georgia NATO drills
RIA Novosti
17/04/2009 19:23 MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - The former
Georgian republic of Abkhazia may hold its own military exercises in
response to NATO's planned drills in Georgia next month, Abkhazia's
leader said on Friday.
The Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer 09 command-and-staff
exercise, led by the Western military alliance, will be held from May 6
through June 1, but will not feature light or heavy weaponry.
"The planned NATO exercises in Georgia do not lead to the
stabilization of the situation in the Caucasus," Abkhaz President
Sergei Bagapsh said. "We observe the situation in Georgia and we will
conduct our own drills in response."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
has dismissed the drills as "disappointing," saying they threatened to
complicate ties with Russia. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the
exercises could raise tensions in the Caucasus region.
Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states
after a five-day war last August with Georgia, which attacked South
Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Most
residents of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia had held Russian
citizenship for several years.
Bagapsh said Abkhazia was with Russian assistance reinforcing the
border with Georgia to prevent protests against President Mikheil
Saakashvili spreading to its territory. He also said additional
security measures would be introduced on the border by the time the
NATO drills began in Georgia.
Speaking about the planned Russian military base in Gudauta, in the
west of Abkhazia, Bagapsh said it was expected to "open in the near
future."
"The agreement has been signed. The base is practically in place,"
Bagapsh said, adding that the number of servicemen needed "to maintain
peace and stability in Abkhazia" would be finalized later.
The Abkhaz leader said the Russian naval base would be also built in
the coastal town of Ochamchira, in Abkhazia, which is to be used by the
Russian Black Sea Fleet. "There will be five to six Russian craft and
10 of ours," he said.
Bagapsh earlier said Russia would deploy a total of 3,800 troops in Abkhazia for the next 49 years.