Moscow Comments on Gudauta Base in Abkhazia
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Kaminin said on May 2 that “in order to put an end to speculations about the Gudauta military base once and for all,” Moscow is ready to invite the German-initiated group of observers to monitor the situation in Gudauta, breakaway Abkhazia.
Russia claims that it closed down its military base in Gudauta in 2001 as envisaged by the OSCE Istanbul treaty, but Georgia casts doubts over this claim and wants to launch regular international monitoring of the base.
“In July, 2002 a group of OSCE representatives visited Gudauta and ascertained that the base has been withdrawn. But as [the group from OSCE] had no proper mandate, this group did not formally confirm the closure [of the base],” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information note issued on May 2 reads.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that although no international monitoring was envisaged by the OSCE Istanbul treaty, Moscow agreed to the German-initiated monitoring, but “Tbilisi has blocked the work of the German diplomats from launching the development of an appropriate mandate to send the mission to Gudauta.”
“If Tbilisi changes its unconstructive position, we are still ready to receive this mission on the former military base in Gudauta, where the CIS peacekeeping forces are located,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Debates were re-kindled in Georgia about the Gudauta base after an agreement was signed between Russia and Georgia on March 31 on the withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki. The opposition accused the authorities of failing to include a provision envisaging the international monitoring of the Gudauta base in this agreement.
In response to this criticism, influential MP from the ruling party Giga Bokeria said that Russia insists on only a onetime monitoring mission of the base, while Georgia wants international monitoring on a regular basis. MP Bokeria said that Georgia also wants Russia to destroy the Gudauta airfield runaway.
