Russia to Keep its Troops in S.Ossetia, Abkhazia ‘for a Long Time’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on September 9 that Russia would sign agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia “in the next few days,” which would provide “the legal basis for the presence” of Russian forces in the two regions.
“They will be there for a long time, at least for the foreseeable period. That is necessary to prevent a reoccurrence of Georgian aggression,” Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow.
“Russian forces are on the territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia at the request of the presidents and parliaments of those republics and on the instructions of the Russian president,” he added.
He also said that Russia would continue its efforts to prevent Georgian rearmament. “We are concerned about these attempts to rearm the Georgian leadership and we are pushing this issue at international fora,” Lavrov said.
He added that the EU is now a guarantor that Georgia will not use force to regain control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
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