Moscow worried by Georgian build-up near South Ossetia, Abkhazia
January 24th, 2009 - 12:21 am ICT by IANSMoscow, Jan 23 (RIA Novosti) The Russian foreign ministry Friday said Georgia’s expanding military presence on the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia continued to be a matter for grave concern.It said the Georgian military and the police presence called for “special attention on the part of the UN and other international organisations operating in the region”.
A week ago, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference that: “EU monitors working in areas adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been reporting a build-up of Georgian military units and special forces near the borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and our ‘technical devices’ have also recorded this. Provocations also occur sporadically. We are concerned by this.”
Moscow Thursday criticised a refusal by Tbilisi to allow Russian inspectors to access military installations on its territory. Russia requested Georgia to allow its experts access to Georgian military installations for evaluation and verification in accordance with a 1999 Vienna OSCE (the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) document on confidence and security-building measures. Georgia rejected the request.
Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war last August after Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control over the breakaway republic.
In response, Russia launched a military operation to push back Georgian troops from the region.
Two weeks after the end of the war, Russia recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another rebel region, as independent states. Abkhazia and South Ossetia split from Georgia in the early 1990s, and most residents of both republics have had Russian citizenship for a number of years. Moscow and Tbilisi have not had direct diplomatic relations since.
Russia accused Georgia of receiving arms from foreign countries, including Ukraine, during the conflict.
Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree banning exports of military products and dual-purpose technology to Georgia. As per the document, effective through Dec 1, 2011, the Russian government is to develop ways to restrict military cooperation with countries supplying Russian or Soviet-made arms to Georgia.
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Tags: abkhazia and south ossetia, breakaway republic, diplomatic relations, dmitry medvedev, georgian troops, grave concern, international organisations, military installations, military operation, military presence, military units, police presence, provocations, rebel region, ria novosti, russian citizenship, russian foreign ministry, security building, sergei lavrov, war russia