Russia is mulling to assemble a naval base on the Black Sea coast of the separatist Georgian area of Abkhazia, its chief mentioned in an interview Thursday.
The announcement got here on the again of a number of assaults on Russia’s Black Sea fleet which have embarrassed the Kremlin.
Tensions have escalated on the important thing waterway since July, when Russia exited a deal guaranteeing secure passage for cargo ships to and from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
“We have signed an agreement, and in the near future there will be a permanent point of deployment for the Russian navy in the Ochamchire district,” Abkhazia’s separatist chief Aslan Bzhania informed pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia in an interview revealed Thursday.
He mentioned the intention of the deal was to “increase the defense capability both of Russia and Abkhazia” and added that “this kind of cooperation will continue, because this safeguards the fundamental interests of both Abkhazia and Russia. And security is above all.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned he was unable to remark.
“Questions related to the deployment of our troops and our ships – these are for the Defence Ministry,” he informed reporters.
Russia and Georgia fought a conflict in 2008, after which Moscow acknowledged the independence of Abkhazia and one other Moscow-backed separatist area, South Ossetia.
Russia has stationed everlasting navy bases in each areas.
‘Flagrant violation’
Georgian authorities mentioned the plan was “a flagrant violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“We express concern over the statement of Russia’s occupation regime in Sukhumi regarding the establishment of an additional Russian military base on Georgia’s occupied territory,” the Foreign Ministry added in an announcement.
Georgia, an ex-Soviet nation within the South Caucasus, has for years pushed for integration into the European Union, a course of that accelerated after a short conflict with Russia in 2008.
Source: www.dailysabah.com