TBILISI, 5 Oct. Georgian Foreign Ministry is concerned about the statement President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania, according to which it is planned to create a base for the Russian Navy in the Ochamchira region, according to a ministry statement distributed by the press service.
Earlier, Bzhania, in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, said that a permanent base for ships of the Russian Navy will appear in Ochamchira Bay in Abkhazia, a corresponding agreement has already been signed.
“We express our concern at the statements of the Russian occupation regime in Sukhumi about the deployment of an additional Russian military base in the occupied territories of Georgia and the inclusion of the integral Abkhaz region of Georgia in the integration processes initiated by Russia,” the statement says.
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, such actions are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and represent another provocative attempt “aimed at legitimizing the illegal occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.” The ministry also calls on Russia to “respect international obligations and implement the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008.”
On the night of August 8, 2008, Georgia fired at South Ossetia from Grad multiple rocket launchers; Georgian troops attacked the republic and destroyed part of its capital, Tskhinvali. Russia, protecting the residents of South Ossetia, many of whom had accepted Russian citizenship, sent troops into the republic and, after five days of fighting, ousted the Georgian military from the region.
Moscow on August 26, 2008 recognized the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian leaders have repeatedly stated that recognition of the independence of the two former Georgian autonomies reflects existing realities and is not subject to revision. Georgia still does not recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and considers them its regions.
Throughout the 2000s, Ochamchira Bay was used for the joint deployment of civilian ships and military boats of the Abkhaz Navy. In January 2009, the base was transferred to the Russian Federation for the arrangement of a base for ships and boats, and dredging work was carried out. Currently, patrol ships and coast guard boats of the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation are based there.