Abkhazia to strengthen border with Georgia

Abhkazia will in the near future start creating a full scale border infrastructure along the Inguri River, reports RIA Novosti. Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh informed the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby about his intention. Abkhazia to strengthen border with Georgia Both Georgia and Abkhazia have troops deployed along the river since the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s, and Russia also has peacekeepers there. "The atmosphere that has been created lately around the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement amid the reaction of European political structures and the U.S. Senate to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's declarations forces Abkhazia to significantly correct its position," Bagapsh was quoted by the local Apsnypress news agency as saying. Russia recognized Abkhazia and another former Georgian republic, South Ossetia, two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter in August 2008. The war began after Georgia attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Venezuela, Nicaragua and the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru are the only countries to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence. "We see politically premature, agenda-driven actions of European structures aimed at supporting Georgia, despite tragic events that the Georgian side is guilty of," the Abkhaz president said. Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili voiced his peace initiative in a speech to the European Parliament in late November, saying that Tbilisi would "never use force to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty and will only use peaceful means to ensure the withdrawal of the occupation forces and its reunification." Bagapsh was quoted as saying Sukhumi will not trust any peace declaration coming from Tbilisi until the Georgian president expresses his strong readiness to sign an agreement on the non-renewal of military actions under international guarantees. The Georgian side earlier said it was ready to sign such agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but also demanded international guarantees that there will be no aggression from the republics. A new round of discussions on security in the South Caucasus involving Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia and backed by the UN, the EU and the OSCE will take place in Geneva on Thursday.

Abkhazia to strengthen border with Georgia

Both Georgia and Abkhazia have troops deployed along the river since the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s, and Russia also has peacekeepers there.

"The atmosphere that has been created lately around the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement amid the reaction of European political structures and the U.S. Senate to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's declarations forces Abkhazia to significantly correct its position," Bagapsh was quoted by the local Apsnypress news agency as saying.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another former Georgian republic, South Ossetia, two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter in August 2008. The war began after Georgia attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Venezuela, Nicaragua and the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru are the only countries to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence.

"We see politically premature, agenda-driven actions of European structures aimed at supporting Georgia, despite tragic events that the Georgian side is guilty of," the Abkhaz president said.

Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili voiced his peace initiative in a speech to the European Parliament in late November, saying that Tbilisi would "never use force to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty and will only use peaceful means to ensure the withdrawal of the occupation forces and its reunification."

Bagapsh was quoted as saying Sukhumi will not trust any peace declaration coming from Tbilisi until the Georgian president expresses his strong readiness to sign an agreement on the non-renewal of military actions under international guarantees.

The Georgian side earlier said it was ready to sign such agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but also demanded international guarantees that there will be no aggression from the republics.

A new round of discussions on security in the South Caucasus involving Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia and backed by the UN, the EU and the OSCE will take place in Geneva on Thursday.