Bagapsh Wants Russian Base in Abkhazia

Abkhaz leader, Sergey Bagapsh, said Sokhumi wanted to have Russian military presence to provide security guarantees.

“We are in favour of Russia having a presence here in the military sense, a base here…It will give us protection,” Bagapsh told Reuters in an interview on May 13.

“We are ready to sign a military agreement, if Russia wants to do that…We need guarantees, guarantees of security so we can develop as a small, sovereign, democratic state.”

Sergey Shamba, the foreign minister of breakaway Abkhazia, said in an interview with the Russian newspaper, Izvestia, published on May 6 that Sokhumi wanted Russia to take Abkhazia’s territory under its military control. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, however, said the proposal on “comprehensive military cooperation” with Abkhazia was not discussed.

Sergey Bagapsh also said in the interview with Reuters that Sokhumi had no interest in a new war but also added it was ready to repel Georgian attack.

“It is not very good when Europe, the whole world is arming Georgia, and we are forced to arm ourselves,” he said. “Georgia is one of the most militarized states in the post-Soviet region…All this is being done to use force to resolve the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia… Georgia must realize that it cannot resolve either the South Ossetian question or the Abkhazian question through force. It will never work. If, God Forbid, a war starts, Georgia will lose more than anyone else.”