Russia signs border agreement with breakaway Tskhinvali region
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The de facto Foreign Minister of Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali region (also known as South Ossetia) has arrived in Moscow to sign a so-called "Agreement on State Border” with Russia.
This comes one day after Russia voiced its initiative to remove its border with Abkhazia, Georgia’s other breakaway region.
Tbilisi assessed the signature of such a document as "yet another attempt” of Russia’s "annexation” of the Georgian region.
Meanwhile in a statement yesterday Russia’s Foreign Minister said this "treaty” should "debunk the allegations” that were being made by the Georgian side about "imminent aggression” and the "accession” and "annexation” of South Ossetia”.
"Such claims are aimed at discrediting Russia's policy in the South Caucasus”, said Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
In response, Georgia’s Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili said this document -- just like all other documents signed and to be signed between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway regions -- was "illegitimate”. She said it had had no legal power and would not be recognised by the global community.
She also said the global community needed to properly react to this "violation of international law” by Russia.
Georgia’s State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Davit Bakradze said Georgia would mobilise its diplomatic channels to ensure an effective response to this "violation”.
- The European Union (EU) also voiced its concern regarding the signature of such a document. Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia Yanosh Herman said the EU firmly supported Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and signing of such a document between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway regions would not contribute to the conflict solution.
Tskhinvali region was the focus of a full-blown war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. Immediately after the war, Russia recognised Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia as independent states.
The global community, including international organisations such as the European Union and NATO, recognise Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region as Georgian territories occupied by Russia.
Meanwhile, during the de facto Tskhinvali leader’s visit to Moscow, he was scheduled to meet Russia’s Foreign Minister and discuss the so-called treaty on ‘alliance and integration’ to be signed between Russia and the de-facto region in the near future. This agreement is extremely similar to an agreement Russia already signed with breakaway Abkhazia.
"The revanchist sentiments that remain in Tbilisi make security cooperation all the more relevant,” read the statement on Russia’s Foreign Ministry’s website.
"Pursuant to the respective bilateral agreements, a Russian military base has been deployed in South Ossetia while our border guards protect the republic’s borders with Georgia.”
Russia is making moves to remove its border with Abkhazia – one of Georgia’s two breakaway regions.
A Kremlin proposed new treaty on ‘Alliance and Integration’ with Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia will be signed by the end of this year, Abkhazia’s de-facto leader Raul Khajimba announced.
The Russian President’s aide Vladislav Surkov in charge of overseeing Moscow’s relations with Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) believes the planned treaty between Moscow and Tskhinvali will be signed early 2015.
Georgian Foreign Ministry calls on the international community to take all possible measures to prevent the annexation of Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali region (so-called South Ossetia) by Russia.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry is again publically condemning the signing of the so-called ‘treaty’ between Moscow and the Sokhumi occupation regime and called it "de-facto annexation” of its territory.
Russia’s signature of a so-called treaty on ‘Alliance and Strategic Partnership’ with Georgia's breakaway region Abkhazia is detrimental to ongoing efforts to stabilise the security situation in the region, the European Union (EU) says.
NATO is calling on Russia to reverse its recognition of two Georgian lands - Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region - as independent states and to withdraw its forces from Georgia.
Russia will take "measures” if NATO tries to "lure” Georgia into the alliance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.
Georgia’s integration with NATO is "a priority of the country’s foreign policy” and third parties cannot have any influence on this process, says a Georgian Foreign Ministry representative.
Russia’s attempts to remove the state border between itself and Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region was one of the issues Georgia highlighted at a special meeting with co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions today in Tbilisi.
Slovakia is voicing concern about the signing of a so-called border treaty between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali region (also known as South Ossetia).
A proposal to sign a closer cooperation treaty between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway Tskinvali region (South Ossetia) will soon be submitted to the Russian President for review.
Brussels is hosting a Georgia-NATO Commission meeting for Ambassadors today.
Official Tbilisi is expressing "extreme concern” after Russian military held joint training exercises in Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.
Moscow claims Tbilisi "persistently refuses to sign an agreement about a non-use of force” so it was forced to deploy Russian guards near the so-called border between Georgia and breakaway Abkhazia.
The OSCE Permanent Council disapproves of the decision of de facto Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) authorities to hold a referendum in Georgia’s breakaway region.