August 13, 2009 10:29 AM
Putin pledges to defend Abkhazia, Georgia fumes
Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lays a wreath at the monument to Abkhaz
fighters who were killed during the war conflict with Georgia in
1992-1993 in the centre of Sukhumi, August 12, 2009. REUTERS/RIA
ovosti/Pool/Alexei NikolskyBy Gleb Bryanski
SUKHUMI (Georgia), Aug 13 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin pledged half a billion dollars to defend the breakaway
region of Abkhazia on Wednesday during a surprise visit which Georgia
said escalated tensions in the Caucasus.
Putin's tour of the enclave underscores Moscow's increased
foothold in the rebel regions since Russian troops repelled a Georgian
attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war which ended on Aug.
12, 2008.
Tensions have been rising along the de facto borders between the
regions and Georgia proper, raising concerns that another conflict
could be sparked easily.
"With today's Georgian leadership, you cannot rule anything out,"
Putin said in an interview with Abkhaz reporters when asked if there
would be a repeat of last year's war.
Georgia said Putin's trip was a direct challenge that would
escalate tensions in the Caucasus, a key route for oil and gas flows
from the Caspian Sea.
"Putin's visit to the occupied territory of a sovereign country is
yet another provocation carried out ... in the tradition of the Soviet
special services," Georgia's Foreign Ministry said.
It said the trip was "yet another attempt to destabilise the situation and escalate tension in the Caucasus region".
The rest of the world -- apart from Nicaragua -- views Abkhazia
and South Ossetia as part of Georgia, though Russia has deployed
several thousand troops to the regions and has military bases in both
enclaves.
"Frankly speaking, Abkhazia needs no other recognition except
Russia's," Putin said during a news briefing. He also urged Russian
businesses to invest in Abkhazia.
The European Union last month criticised a visit by Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev to South Ossetia and said it supported
Georgia's territorial integrity. The United States has called for
Georgia's sovereignty to be respected.
RUSSIA-BACKED REGION
Putin, who arrived by helicopter in the local capital Sukhumi,
said Russia would spend 15-16 billion roubles ($500 million) in 2010 on
strengthening Abkhazia's defences, including shoring up its borders and
equipping Russian military bases.
"We will make the necessary efforts together with the
corresponding Abkhaz structures to build a modern border defence,"
Putin said. "This is an additional and serious guarantee of the
security of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
Underlining continued tensions, one person was killed and two
wounded in a bomb blast in the Abkhaz resort of Gagra. It was not
immediately clear who was responsible.
Putin's visit, during a break from his vacation in the Black Sea
resort of Sochi, underscores Russia's dominance of Georgia's rebel
regions, which broke away from Georgia's rule after wars in the early
1990s and have run their own affairs ever since.
Pro-Russian billboards -- "Russia and Abkhazia: together for
prosperity" -- dotted the streets of Sukhumi, which is nestled among
vineyards and orchards on the Black Sea coast.
"Putin is our guardian angel," mothers of Abkhaz fighters who were
killed in the 1992-93 war chanted after Putin laid flowers at a
cenotaph in honour of those who fell in the war.
Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Moscow was keeping
3,636 servicemen in Abkhazia and "a bit less" in South Ossetia. He
ruled out any plans to boost the military presence.
Putin later visited a new maternity house in Sukhumi, where male
twins were born half an hour before his arrival. "They will be called
Vladimir and Dmitry," said beaming maternity hospital head Liana Achba,
referring to Putin and Medvedev.
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