Tbilisi Calls on Russia to Reinforce Borders with Breakaway Region

The Georgian Foreign Ministry called on Russia on May 18 to reinforce the Abkhaz and South Ossetian sections of the Russo-Georgian border, to, first and foremost, prevent arms trafficking in the breakaway regions.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda on May 18 Sergey Ivanov said that Russia will significantly strengthen its border from the Caspian to the Black Sea, as “we do not feel calm. Terrorists are moving around and this is openly admitted by our neighbors.”

He also said that citizens of about 50 countries who infiltrated into the Russian territories from Georgia were killed by the Federal Forces during anti-terrorist operations in Chechnya, which have been ongoing since 2000.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s increased control over the state border will be only welcomed by Tbilisi, as it will give “Georgia a higher degree of protection from the penetration of armed people from the North Caucasus.”

“However, the prime goal should be reinforcement of the Abkhaz and Ossetian sections of the Georgian-Russian state border… since it is through these very sections that armed gangs, arms and military equipment are brought illegally into the Georgian territory – leading to the militarization of the conflict regions,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said. 

During the interview the Russian Defense Minister said that the Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia will act “strictly in accordance to their mandate” if hostilities resume. “I would like to remind [everyone] that about 90% of residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are citizens of the Russian Federation,” Ivanov added.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian Defense Minister’s statement proves once again that Russia still pursues a policy which is not in the line with its status of a mediator.
 
“It is Georgia’s sovereign right to decide the issue of the peacekeepers’ presence on the Georgian territory,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.