Kommersant: "Vladimir Putin accused of border violation"
US, EU, and Georgia unhappy with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Abkhazia.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Abkhazia has drawn criticism from Georgia, the European Union, and the US. Brussels and Washington issued statements criticising Putin's visit to the break-away region as violating the principle of territorial integrity and called on Russia to respect Georgia's internationally recognised borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the criticism as unfounded. "Abkhazia and South Ossetia are two independent states, and the West should come to terms with this new reality," an official at Russia's Foreign Ministry told Kommersant.
Vladimir Putin's visit to Abkhazia, during which he promised to boost Russia's military presence in the republic, currently recognised only by Moscow and Nicaragua, was denounced in Georgia and the West. The most extreme reaction came from Tbilisi.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry called Vladimir Putin the "main instigator of the August 2008 war against Georgia." "Putin's visit to the occupied Abkhazia proves once again that Russia ignores the universally recognised norms of international law, its own obligations and national prestige. Through such actions, Russia demonstrates that it has no intention of fulfilling the August 12, 2008 agreement," the Georgian Foreign Ministry's statement said.
Tbilisi was particularly outraged by the fact that having visited Sukhumi on the anniversary of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan's signing, which among other things provides for the withdrawal of all troops to pre-war positions, Putin promised to spend $500,000,000 to build up military presence in Abkhazia.
"Russia's military expansion in Abkhazia contradicts the agreement reached through the mediation efforts of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy," Georgian Deputy Foreign Ministry Alexander Nalbandov stated. "This initiative is illegal as it concerns an occupied territory, and we call on the international community to condemn it."
The EU promptly reacted to Mr Nalbandov's appeal, issuing a statement on Thursday. "The EU believes that this visit (Vladimir Putin's visit - Kommersant) does not comply with the principle of territorial integrity nor does it contribute to the international efforts aimed at promoting stability in the region."
Washington followed suit with an official statement released by the US Department of State calling on Moscow to respect Georgia's territorial integrity. Commenting on Putin's visit, the Department of State's special representative Philip Crowley said that the US attached "the utmost importance" to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We believe that Russia and other regional countries must respect the internationally recognised borders of Georgia. Russia has made commitments as part of the ceasefire agreement, and we hope that it will respect its obligations under the agreement," Crowley said.
President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Tskhinvali in July caused a similar reaction in the West. The US called the visit "inappropriate," and the EU, which is currently under the Swedish presidency, stated that Medvedev's visit could negatively impact the international efforts to stabilise the region.
Moscow, however, has dismissed all criticism as unfounded, and does not seem to have any intention of heeding the West's concerns. "We have long since made our position clear: the political realities in the region changed after Saakashvili unleashed war," Igor Lyakin-Frolov, head of the Foreign Ministry's department of information and press, told Kommersant yesterday. "Therefore, the recognition of Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's independence was inevitable."
As for the criticism of Russia's plans to reinforce its military presence in the unrecognised republics, Lyakin-Frolov says that it does not contradict the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan. "We have already fulfilled our obligations under the plan last year, but today, we face a new situation in the region. Our troops and bases are stationed in the two independent states based on bilateral agreements. Their mission is to guarantee security in the region, and that is what they do," concluded the diplomat.
Georgy Filchenko
