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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russia to be involved in new war between Georgia and Abkhazia |
| 2005-02-16 |
| It’s time for another nutritious Pravda McNuggetTM. Georgia’s new Defense Minister is known for his extremely tough approach to the problem with Abkhazia The new President of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia, Sergei Bagapsh, took the office on Saturday. The ceremony, which was held in the republic’s capital, Sukhumi, marked the end of the political opposition that lasted for several months. Now the new president of Abkhazia will have to face numerous social and economic problems. The political problem - Abkhazia’s relations with Georgia - is the most important one of them. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said at the end of January, before his departure to the PACE session, that Georgia would return to Abkhazia. The head of state did not specify, how exactly Georgia was intended to do it. During his speech at the PACE session, Saakashvili presented a plan to regulate relations with South Ossetia by means of granting the status of a wide autonomy to it. The Georgian president did not offer anything similar to Abkhazia - it was simply said that one should resume negotiations on the matter. Abkhazia is ready to talk, although things will most likely be left as they are. The new Georgian administration perceives Abkhazia as an integral part of Georgia. The Abkhazian administration, in its turn, agrees to negotiate only if Georgia acknowledges the independence of the republic. So in short, the Abkhazian administration is willing to talk with Georgia about anything but what Georgia wants to talk about. Let me guess, someone’s going to write an Abkhazia Is From Mars, Georgia is from Venus book? Seriously, I find myself wondering if perhaps Georgia would be better off letting Abkhazia gain independence and concentrate instead on real security issues, such as preventing another occurance of the Beslan tragedy? Might this also be good advice for Russia and Abkhazia as well? I suspect that Russia and Abkhazia’s main problem at the moment is neither Georgia, Ukraine, nor (as some say) the United States, but rather non-indigenous terrorist movements? It is not ruled out that Georgia may try and use a military way of solving the problem. Georgia’s new Defense Minister, Irakli Okruashvili, is known for his extremely tough approach to the problem with South Ossetia and Abkhazia - a conflict is more than just possible. It was Okruashvili, who incited armed clashes in South Ossetia last summer. The official was not dismissed from the position for those actions afterwards - he chaired the Georgian Department of Defense instead. Okruashvili believes that his prime goal of the post is to run a profound army reform. The events in South Ossetia proved that Georgia was not ready for the conflict despite the ongoing army reform with the USA’s active participation in it. The new administration of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia is ready to face any development of events, according to President Sergei Bagapsh. The president obviously hopes that Russia will come to help the republic in the event a military conflict with Georgia occurs. "Do not forget that 80 percent of our people are citizens of the Russian Federation. Like any other superpower, Russia must defend its citizens, if their lives are engendered," Sergei Bagapsh said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta. |
| Posted by:Phil Fraering |
| #1 Seriously, I find myself wondering if perhaps Georgia would be better off letting Abkhazia gain independence and concentrate instead on real security issues, such as preventing another occurance of the Beslan tragedy? The Beslan tragedy happened in Russia. What in the world could Georgia do about it? Georgia's main security problem is that huge giant in the North that has grabbed two pieces of its territory and won't let go. I suspect that Russia and Abkhazia’s main problem at the moment is neither Georgia, Ukraine, nor (as some say) the United States, but rather non-indigenous terrorist movements? When Abkhazia had elections and Russia didn't like the result it wasn't the "non-indigenous terrorist movement" that breathed heavily down Abkhazia's throat until they changed it, it was the Kremlin. So I'd say that Abkhazia's problem is Russia. The Abkhazians were foolish enough to try to seek independence by going into the arms of the bear which proceeded to bite their foolish little heads off even as it claimed to be protecting them. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2005-02-16 9:07:30 AM |