GEORGIA’S REMILITARIZATION MAY ESCALATE TENSIONS IN TRANSCAUCASUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.01.2010 18:42 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The ninth round of International Discussions on
Security and Stability in Transcaucasus is due in Geneva on January 28.
The discussion series were launched in October 2008 by the agreement
reached between Russian and French Presidents following the August
2008 South Ossetia war. Discussions will be conducted by two working
groups dealing with security and humanitarian issues.
The first group will focus its activities on drafting legally binding
documents on non-use of force. The agreements will be signed by
Georgia on the one hand and Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the other.
Much greater significance is attached to giving firm guarantees to
Sukhimi and Tskhivali, considering Tbilisi’s military rhetoric and
Georgian leadership’s incessant claims for restoring the country’s
territorial integrity at any cost.
"In the meantime, it is necessary to resolve Georgia’s remilitarization
problem which may exacerbate the atmosphere in Transcaucasus. All
responsible international players should realize the devastating
consequences of double standard policy in relation to Georgia. The
accelerated re-armament of the country may escalate new tensions,
posing new threats to neighboring states, particularly Abkahzia and
South Ossetia," Russian Foreign Ministry’s press service reported.
Participants in Geneva meeting are Republic of Abkhazia, Russian,
Federation, United States, Republic of South Ossetia, as well as
representatives from EU, United Nations and OSCE and Russian Deputy
FM/State Secretary Grigory Karasin.
The South Ossetian armed conflict broke out in August of 2008 between
Georgia on one side, and Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia on
the other.
On the night of 8 August 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale
military attack against South Ossetia, in an attempt to re-conquer
the territory. The following day Russia reacted by deploying combat
troops in South Ossetia and launching bombing raids deep into Georgia.
Russian and Ossetian soldiers clashed with Georgian soldiers in the
four-day Battle of Tskhinvali, the main battle of the war. On August
9th, Russian naval forces blockaded a part of the Georgian coast and
landed marines on the Abkhaz coast. Russian and Abkhaz forces opened
a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge, held by Georgia. and
entered western parts of Georgia’s interior. After five days of heavy
fighting, the Georgian forces were routed, enabling the Russians
to enter uncontested Georgia and occupy the cities of Poti, Gori,
Senaki, and Zugdidi. After mediation by the French presidency of the
European Union, the parties reached a preliminary ceasefire agreement
on 12 August, signed by Georgia on 15 August in Tbilisi and by Russia
on 16 August in Moscow. On 12 August, President Medvedev had already
ordered a halt to Russian military operations, but fighting did not
stop immediately. After signing the ceasefire agreement, Russia pulled
most of its troops out of uncontested Georgia, but established buffer
zones around Abkhazia and South Ossetia and also created check-points
in Georgia’s interior, (Poti, Senaki, Perevi).
On 26 August 2008 Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia. Russia completed its withdrawal from uncontested
Georgia on 8 October, but as of 2009 Russian forces remain stationed
in Abkhazia and South Ossetia under bilateral agreements with the
corresponding governments. However, according to a number of European
and US sources, Russia has not fully complied with the peace agreement
because Georgia lost control of some of its territories. A number
of incidents occurred in both conflict zones in the months after the
war ended. As of 2010, tensions between the belligerents remain high.