Georgia: Russian peacekeeper buildup in Abkhazia "illegitimate" - official

Molly Corso: 5/01/08

Georgian officials are denouncing Russia's unilateral action to reinforce its peacekeeping contingent in the separatist territory of Abkhazia, describing Moscow's move is the start of the region's "military annexation." While Russia claims that the additional forces are allowed under an earlier agreement with Georgia, Tbilisi maintains the buildup is "illegal."

On May 1, Georgian television broadcast footage of Russian personnel carriers and other military equipment moving into the southern Abkhaz district of Tkvarcheli. Georgian media sources on the preceding day had reported that Russian peacekeeping forces had crossed the Psou River separating Abkhazia from the Russian Federation.

Russian officials have stated that the fresh deployment will not exceed the limit of 2,500 to 3,000 troops set down by a 1994 agreement with Georgia. On April 29, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it would increase the number of peacekeepers in Abkhazia in response to "provocative acts" by Georgia – an apparent reference to the shoot-down of a Georgian unmanned reconnaissance plane on April 20. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Georgian authorities, however, maintain they were not officially informed about the increase in peacekeeper troops and have no information about the number of Russian soldiers currently in the conflict zone. In their own statements, Russian officials have provided specifics about the reinforcement.

At a May 1 briefing in Tbilisi, Davit Bakradze, recently named Georgia's presidential envoy on conflict matters, said that his country is "very concerned" about Russia's increased military presence in the Abkhaz conflict zone. The new forces, Bakradze said, cannot be considered peacekeepers since Moscow did not inform Tbilisi about its decision to increase its troop presence.

"In order for a military force to be considered a peacekeeping force, there are certain rules. It should be agreed with the host country," he told EurasiaNet. "If one does not follow those rules … it is hard to see this as a legitimate peacekeeping force. It is an illegitimate military presence."

Georgia wasn't the only country left in the dark about Russian plans. The Kremlin provided no notice to the United Nations or to Russia's fellow members in the UN's Group of Friends (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States), a loose coalition that works on conflict resolution in Abkhazia.

Bakradze stressed that the increase in military forces is a clear indication that Russia is unfit to serve as a mediator in the conflict. For the past 16 years, Moscow has played a pivotal role in all negotiations between Georgia and the de facto government in the Abkhaz capital, Sukhumi.

An official note of protest about the peacekeeper buildup was delivered to Russian Ambassador Vyacheslav Kovalenko on May 1. Surrounded by Georgian TV journalists upon leaving the Foreign Ministry, Kovalenko only repeated that the peacekeeper troop increase fell within the limits outlined in Russia's 1994 agreement with Georgia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The announcement about Russia's reinforcement coincided with a televised appeal by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili for residents of Abkhazia and fellow separatist region South Ossetia to "stand together" against an "aggressive force" bent on militarizing the conflict zones. How ordinary residents of either conflict zone interpreted that appeal is unknown. In Abkhazia, officials have welcomed the peacekeeper increase as an alleged safety measure against war with Georgia.

In separate statements, Russian politicians and officials in recent days have affirmed that Moscow is obliged to intervene in Abkhazia to guarantee the security of its citizens living there. Over the past several years, Russia has issued a large number of domestic passports to Abkhaz residents who declined to carry Georgian identification papers.

The Georgian government has sought to keep its concerns about perceived Russian aggression in the international spotlight. The United States, as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, have all issued statements condemning the Russian move.

At present, Georgia has no official foreign minister. As a candidate for parliament in Georgia's May 21 election, Bakradze was required to step down from the post. He has been named a special presidential envoy to the international community on conflict issues, though appears to be carrying out the de facto functions of foreign minister on the Abkhazia issue. A replacement has not yet been named.

Meanwhile, the elections have impacted the Abkhazia issue in other ways. The United Opposition Movement – a bloc of nine opposition parties in Georgia headed by former presidential candidate Levan Gachechiladze – maintains that the government is trying to use the Russian troop deployment to win votes in Georgia's upcoming May 21 parliamentary polls. During a late night news program, Kakha Kukava, a member of parliament and a leader in the opposition bloc, alleged that the Saakashvili administration was exaggerating the Russian threat for political purposes.

Bakradze, however, maintained that the Russian threat was real – and dangerous. "This is seen by us as a very alarming sign … [the] annexation of this part of Georgia," he said during the briefing. "That was a unilateral decision that will increase tension on the ground and which will generate additional instability, so we are very worried."

Editor's Note: Molly Corso is a freelance reporter based in Tbilisi.

Posted May 1, 2008 © Eurasianet