Tbilisi “concerned” over Moscow’s alleged plans to deploy base in occupied Abkhazia

The Georgian foreign office on Thursday said it was “concerned” by Moscow’s plans to deploy a permanent naval military base in the Russian-occupied north-western Abkhazia region’s city of Ochamchire. 

The Ministry called on Russia to act “in accordance with international obligations” and the ceasefire agreement signed with Tbilisi following the 2008 conflict between the countries and withdraw its troops from the Georgian occupied regions. 

Such actions represent a gross violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and represent another provocative attempt to legitimise the illegal occupation of Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions”, the Ministry stressed. 

The body also condemned Russia’s attempts to include the Georgian region in its initiated “integration process”, and stressed the international community “firmly supported” Georgia’s territorial integrity. 

Aslan Bzhania, the de facto President of Abkhazia region, on Thursday told the Russian media he had signed a “new agreement” with the Kremlin over the deployment of the permanent naval base in Ochamchire in the “near future”. 

Following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday, Bzhania also expressed readiness to get involved in the “integration process” initiated by Moscow, which reportedly aims at the full annexation of the occupied regions. 

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Russia recognised the Georgian regions as independent states following its 2008 invasion of Georgia, with only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria joining the stance so far.