Boris Gryzlov, speaker of Russia’s State Duma, said on January 29, that demanding from Russia to withdraw its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was fruitless, commenting on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's (PACE) resolution, reports a REGNUM correspondent. It is worth mentioning that an amendment about possible suspension of the voting rights of Russia’s and Georgia’s delegations to PACE has been withdrawn.

“It is fruitless demanding that Russia backpedal on its recognition of the republics. Russia has recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia and it is for centuries”, — said the speaker of State Duma.

As REGNUM informed earlier, on January, 28 during the winter session of PASE in Strasbourg a resolution of Assembly has been adopted, which called Russia in continuation of autumn resolution to withdraw the recognition by Russia of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

01.29.2009  REGNUM

Moscow, Russia and Abkhazia will soon sign an agreement on the deployment of Russian air and naval bases in Abkhazia, a spokesman for the Abkhazian president said on Thursday.

Russia and Abkhazia have agreed to establish a base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet at Ochamchira, a seaside town in the republic, which Russia recognizes as independent.

"The agreement is expected to be signed within the next few months. We need to iron out some technical matters," Kristian Bzhania said.

He said that the airbase, in Gudauta, would be deployed before the naval base, adding that both bases had been established in the Soviet days.

Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh said on Monday that the possibility of Georgian sabotage was a push for the republic to advance talks with Russia on a base for the Black Sea Fleet.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet currently uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine's Crimea as part of a 1997 agreement, under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced last summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol beyond 2017, and urged the Russia to start preparations for a withdrawal.

The chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said in November that the Russian military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be fully staffed with 3,700 personnel each by the end of 2009.

Russian media previously reported that Moscow was also looking at possible naval facilities in Yemen, Syria and Libya, among other countries. Russian military officials are also on record as saying Moscow could build up its presence in the Mediterranean to make up for the loss of Sevastopol.

01.29.2009  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Russia will never withdraw its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia's independence, the speaker of the lower house of parliament said on Thursday.

"All MPs meeting at PACE, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly should operate on the premise that it is pointless to suggest that a reversal is possible. Russia has recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and that is for all time," Boris Gryzlov said.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia were recognized as independent by Russia last August following Georgia's assault on South Ossetia and Moscow's five-day military operation to force Tbilisi to peace. Nicaragua soon followed Russia's lead in recognizing the republics, but no other country has done so.

In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, PACE condemned Moscow's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but stopped short of imposing any sanctions against Russia.

The Assembly reiterated the call for Russia to withdraw its recognition of the two republics.

Gryzlov said nothing would force Russia to change its position, adding that it was "useless" to make such appeals.

"We have repeatedly stated during meetings with MPs from other countries that there is no going back," he said.

01.29.2009  RIA Novosti

Strasbourg, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights will pay a visit to Georgia and its Abkhazia on February 10-14.

The official, who has never visited Abkhazia before, said he also plans to visit Russia's North Caucasus republics of North Ossetia and Ingushetia, as well as Moscow. He said he planned to meet with local officials and representatives of non-government groups and civic organizations.

Hammarberg visited South Ossetia, in August, September and November 2008. He later published a report describing the humanitarian situation in the republic, which was attacked by Georgia in August, as "critical."

The official is expected to present his final report on the situation in the area of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in late spring.

01.28.2009  RIA Novosti

While high-ranking officials in Europe and Russia are busy talking, people in Abkhazia are coping with everyday life and struggle for their dreams of a better life.

Abkhazian football player Anri Tania is trying to adapt to a new environment. Together with his friend, he will now be playing for the Yenicami Agdelen club in Northern Cyprus.

”My dream is to play in the Premier League in Britain, but to start with I came to play for Northern Cyprus,” Anri Tania  says.

Northern Cyprus is a small and unrecognised republic controlled by Turkey, and has an influential ethnic Abkhazian community.

Many people there believe that, despite their national status seeming one and the same to the international community, there are few similarities between Abkhazia and Northern Cyprus. They say Abkhazia will soon get further international recognition.

Political scientist Muhittin Özsaglam lives in Northern Cyprus, but his family has Abkhazian roots. He spearheaded the transfer of Abkhazian players to the local football club. He believes that through sporting and cultural exchanges, people in former conflict zones can come to a better understanding.

In the past Abkhazia was swapped between the Georgian kingdom and the Ottoman Empire. Thousands migrated to Turkey and the Middle East when Abkhazia became part of the Russian Empire in the beginning of the 19th century.

In Soviet times it came under Tbilisi's rule, but after the collapse of the USSR, the republic declared independence. Tbilisi sent its troops to control the breakaway region and a violent conflict ensued. Tensions have been simmering for more than a decade.

Thousands of ethnic Abkhazians living overseas dream about visiting the land of their ancestors, but for most of them the journey is too tricky.

An international blockade, and diplomatic and economic sanctions, means the only way to come to Abkhazia from abroad is through Russia.

Cemre Jade was born in Istanbul and lived in Turkey almost all her life. She is an ethnic Adyg-Abkhazian, and she decided that it's important for her to live and work in Abkhazia. Currently she's working on a university degree focusing on Abkhazian repatriation, and works as a sociologist in Sukhum.

”When I came there were 200 people. And that number doubled in two years. More and more are coming since recognition. Now people feel safer in Abkhazia,” Cemre says.

Russia has signed treaties on economic, political and military cooperation with the republic, but so far, besides Russia, only Nicaragua has officially recognised Abkhazia. Abkhazians themselves, living both at home and abroad hope their nation will be less divided in the future.

01.28.2009  Russia Today

In the near future, Russia will print maps showing Abkhazia and South Ossetia with colors distinct from Georgia, the Interfax news agency reports.   Radmil Shayapov, the deputy head of the Russian Federal Geodesy and Cartography Agency said the capitals of the new republics would be written as Sukhum and Tskhinval.  The names were determined from recommendations made by Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, he said.

Shayapov added that a table map and 2009 calendar including the two territories was already printed at the end of 2008.

President Dmitri Medvedev has also designated an ambassador-at-large to lead the effort to finalize the borders of the two republics (Abkhazia and South Ossetia), the Vedomosti newspaper reported Tuesday.  No border agreement has been reached with Georgia, which continues to lay claim to the territories and other areas.

Russia fought a short war with Georgia in early August, and on August 26th recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In November, Medvedev told the French Le Figaro newspaper that the decision to recognize the two territories was “final and irreversible.”

“These are not joking matters, he said, “We have recognized these two new subjects of international law. From the point of view of international law, these two subjects now exist.”

Still, the regions have not been recognized internationally, and Georgia considers them to be sovereign territories.  Russia’s recognition has sparked criticism from the European Union, the US and other governments.  Georgia has since reclassified Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied territories.

The only country aside from Russia to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia was Nicaragua, which spoke out with support in August.  Afterwards, Nicaragua’s Foreign Affairs Ministry postponed establishing diplomatic relations with the two republics for an indefinite period.

01.28.2009  The Other Russia

Sukhum, A pro-government party, United Abkhazia, was established on Tuesday in the republic of Abkhazia.

Delegates at the sixth congress of the eponymous political movement have resolved to transform the movement into a political party. Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh, Parliamentary Speaker Nugzar Ashuba and Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab took part in the congress.

A former regional administration chief, Daur Tarba, was elected the party's chairman.

The conference also chose the party's logo, flag and charter, and elected an executive committee and political council.

01.27.2009  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, Abkhazia’s Deputy Interior Minister has been killed in Abkhazia’s capital Sukhum by an unknown assailant.

The murder of Zakhan Dzhugelia took place Monday evening in a cafeteria. A masked gunman fired two shots point blank from a shotgun, hitting the official in the chest and head. He then fled the scene before anyone could react.

Some reports suggest that there were actually two attackers.

Dzhugelia was taken to hospital, but doctors couldn’t save his life.

Abkhaz head Sergey Bagapsh said he believed the crime was aimed at destabilising the situation in the republic.

Another theory is that it was an act of revenge by criminals, since Dzhugelia was the chief of criminal investigations in Abkhazia.

01.27.2009  Russia Today

Sukhum, By denying Abkhazia recognition and promoting Georgia's integrity, the European Union is supporting Stalin's model of the South Caucasus country, the Abkhazian foreign minister said on Monday.

Meeting with representatives of the Danish Foreign Ministry and the Danish Refugee Council, Sergei Shamba recalled Joseph Stalin's move in 1931 to turn the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia into a nominally autonomous republic subject to the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia were recognized as independent by Russia last August following Georgia's assault on South Ossetia and Moscow's five-day military operation to force Tbilisi to peace. Nicaragua soon followed Russia's lead in recognizing the republics.

Shamba said he hoped the situation would change over time and other countries would eventually recognize Abkhazia.

The minister lamented that many EU member states, including current president the Czech Republic, had demanded that Russia withdraw its recognition and respect Georgia's territorial integrity.

Shamba said the principle of territorial integrity, constantly cited by UN member states, was outdated.

01.26.2009  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, The possibility of Georgian sabotage makes Abkhazia push forward talks with Russia on hosting a base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Abkhazian president said on Monday.

"The threat of clandestine Georgian actions prompts both Russia and Abkhazia to speed up talks on the issue," Sergei Bagapsh said in a statement.

The Abkhazian president also said his country was ready to "formalize cooperation with the [Russian] Black Sea Fleet."

Russia and Abkhazia have agreed to establish a Russian Black Sea Fleet base at Ochamchira, a seaside town in Abkhazia.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet currently uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine's Crimea as part of a 1997 agreement, under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced last summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol beyond 2017, and urged the Russia to start preparations for a withdrawal.

Russian media previously reported that Russia was also looking at possible naval facilities in Yemen, Syria and Libya, among other countries. Russian military officials are also on record as saying Moscow could build up its presence in the Mediterranean to make up for the loss of Sevastopol.

01.26.2009  RIA Novosti

Moscow, The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday Georgia's expanding military presence on the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia continued to be a matter for grave concern.

It said the Georgian military and police presence called for "special attention on the part of the UN and other international organizations operating in the region."

A week ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference that, "EU monitors working in areas adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been reporting a buildup of Georgian military units and special forces near the borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and our 'technical devices' have also recorded this. Provocations also occur sporadically. We are concerned by this."

Moscow criticized on Thursday a refusal by Tbilisi to allow Russian inspectors access to military installations on its territory.

Russia requested on January 19 and 21 that Georgia allow its experts access to Georgian military installations for evaluation and verification checks in accordance with a 1999 Vienna OSCE document on confidence and security-building measures. Georgia rejected both requests.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war last August after Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control over South Ossetia. In response, Russia launched a military operation to eject Georgian troops from the region.

Two weeks after the end of the war, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Abkhazia and South Ossetia split from Georgia in the early 1990s, and most residents of both republics have had Russian citizenship for a number of years. Moscow and Tbilisi have not had direct diplomatic relations since.

Russia accused Georgia of receiving arms from foreign countries, including Ukraine, during the conflict.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree banning exports of military products and dual-purpose technology to Georgia. Under the document, effective through December 1, 2011, the Russian government is to develop ways to restrict military cooperation with countries supplying Russian or Soviet-made arms to Georgia.

01.23.2009  RIA Novosti

Moscow, The Belarusian parliament will consider recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on April 2, a senior Belarusian lawmaker said on Thursday.

"The issue is being discussed among members of the House of Representatives. The [final] decision will be made at a plenary session on April 2," said Valery Ivanov, deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on August 26 last year, two weeks after the end of a five-day military conflict which began when Georgian forces launched an attack on South Ossetia in order to bring South Ossetia under central control.

Only Nicaragua has so far followed suit.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier said that if parliament recognized South Ossetias and Abkhazias independence, he would "sign the appropriate document."

01.22.2009  RIA Novosti

Moscow, The measures set forth in the presidential decree banning the supply of arms and dual-purpose products to Georgia aims to reduce the risk of more violence in the Caucasus, promote security and stability in the region, and prevent further violations of international agreements on arms supplies, said the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Andrei Nesterenko.

According to him, Russia pointed out long ago that in light of the unresolved conflicts in Georgia, it was extremely dangerous to provide it with arms in amounts greatly exceeding its defense and security needs. This is a destabilizing factor, Nesterenko stated, which encourages Georgia to solve its conflicts with South Ossetia and Abkhazia by force and leads to an escalation of the military and political situation in the region.

01.21.2009  RBC

Moscow, A PACE mission, led by Assembly chairman Luis Maria de Puig, arrives in Moscow on Sunday. The composition of the delegation of the PACE presidential committee includes representatives of all its five political groups.

Head of the Russian delegation at the PACE and chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev told reporters that the main aim of the visit which will be held following a similar trip by the PACE mission to Georgia, is monitoring of Russia's execution of a resolution on consequences of the conflict in South Caucasus.

“The meeting will be held at the highest level: talks are planned with the leaderships of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly, the Russian Foreign and Defence ministries, the Russian Security Council and the human rights commissioner,” Kosachev noted.

The PACE autumn session in October 2008 adopted a resolution on consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia where the Assembly voiced support for holding international investigations of the events of August 2008. The same document contained a norm on the need for Russia’s refusal to recognise independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But nothing was said about sanctions by the Council of Europe.

Kosachev does not wait even now for “an easy talk” with PACE representatives. According to his conviction, the Council of Europe made perfunctory appraisals of the situation in October. “Our European partners admit now hastiness and erroneous nature of those assessments. Georgia launched the conflict, and this becomes clear to all,” Kosachev emphasised.

Deputy head of the delegation and first deputy chairman of the International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky noted that the PACE January session, starting January 26, will debate the Caucasian topic again. “The report on implementation of the resolution on consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia will be submitted for consideration,” he said, noting that a preliminary draft resolution “has a clearly expressed Georgian trend”.

At the same time, Slutsky believes that the tone of discussions by Europeans became more restrained. “Growing numbers of our colleagues heed Russia’s position on the events in South Ossetia and further development of the situation in the Caucasus,” the deputy noted.

01.18.2009  Itar-Tass

Moscow, Russia is concerned by the buildup of Georgian forces near the borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Russia recognized the two regions as independent states on August 26. Russia and Georgia fought a five day war on August 8-12 after Georgian forces had attacked South Ossetia in a bid to bring it back under central control.

"EU monitors working in areas adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been reporting a buildup of Georgian military units and special forces near the borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and our 'technical devices' have also recorded this. Provocations also occur sporadically. We are concerned by this," Lavrov told a news conference.

The Russian foreign minister also said Moscow had presented no obstacles to the OSCE mission in Georgia.

"Russia was ready to support, and was ready to do so back in December, a draft resolution extending the OSCE mission in Georgia," Lavrov said. "We were also ready to support a decision to send a separate OSCE mission to South Ossetia, if Tskhinval agreed to this."

He added that while this had been proposed and worked out, not all the countries involved had agreed to the plan.

The OSCE mission had a presence in South Ossetia until Georgia's attack. The organization stated its desire to reinstate its monitors in South Ossetia after the ensuing Georgia-Russia war, but was denied permission by the South Ossetians, who accused the OSCE of failing to prevent the Georgian attack.

Lavrov also defended Russia's decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, citing "unambiguous" signals from Tbilisi.

He said that statements made after the August conflict by a number of Western countries pledging that the Georgian Army would be rearmed were "the last straw."

"We then resolved that there was no other way to ensure both the security and the existence of the South Ossetians and the Abkhazians without recognizing their independence and without signing a treaty on friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance with them," Lavrov said.

Lavrov also reiterated that Russia saw no analogy between the West's recognition of Kosovo in February 2008, and Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"As concerns Kosovo, Belgrade never broke UN Resolution 1244, whereas in the case of Georgia, Tbilisi constantly failed to fulfill its obligations under the peace deals agreed on after Georgia unsuccessfully tried to take South Ossetia and Abkhazia by force at the start of the 1990s," he said.

Meanwhile, the Georgian Foreign Ministry demanded on Friday the deployment of international observers and peacekeeping police forces to Abkhazia and South Ossetia following reports of the murder of a Georgian policeman earlier in the day in the village of Knoveli.

The officer was the 11th Georgian policeman to be killed in an attack from the area adjacent to the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict zone over the past two months.

"Georgia has repeatedly stressed that to provide security guarantees and prevent terrorist attacks it is necessary to send international observers into the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and deploy as soon as possible international peacekeeping and/or political missions to the occupied territories," the Georgian ministry said in a statement.

Georgian diplomats have blamed Russia for the attack.

01.16.2009  RIA Novosti

Traditional toasts and ancient pagan rituals have marked the 'old' New Year in Abkhazia. The day is celebrated 13 days after the official New Year, in line with the Julian calendar.

This ancient ritual is something that Abkhazians pass on from one generation to another. As night falls, they gather in the smithy with sacrificial offerings. People light candles that symbolize the beginning of a new year, and the passing of all old worries and fears.

The elders then usually address the Supreme Being.

The Vanabas are an old Abkhazian family. In the entire republic, there are just over a hundred people who bear this last name. Most of them live nearby, in the small village of Otkhara, and visit each other during the festivities.

As shots are fired from an old hunting rifle the whole village knows that this family has finished prayers, and will now be carrying on with the rest of its New Year celebrations.

The Vanabas' young and old watch the fireworks, and congratulate each other.

01.14.2009  Russia Today

Tbilisi, Georgia will sign a strategic partnership treaty with the United States on January 9, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The agreement will be signed in Washington by Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The signing was originally scheduled for Sunday but was delayed by recent events in the Middle East.

The United States signed a similar deal with Ukraine earlier this month, which along with Georgia is hoping to join NATO. The alliance pledged to boost ties with the two ex-Soviet countries at a ministerial meeting earlier in December, although it did not offer them Membership Action Plans, which provides assistance to countries wishing to join NATO.

The details of the pact have not been announced, but according to preliminary information it will include support for reform in Georgia and strengthening of the country's armed forces.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said that by establishing a strategic partnership "with the biggest and strongest state in the world ... relations will reach a new level of security not only in Georgia, but in the whole region."

"With the agreement signed Georgia will become stronger and will be able to travel the path to restoring its territorial integrity," he said.

Georgia lost control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in bloody post-Soviet conflicts in the early 1990s. The two republics, bolstered by Russian peacekeepers, have had de facto independence since then, and have been a bone of contention between Georgia and Russia.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states on August 26, two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia, triggered by Tbilisi's attack on South Ossetia.

01.05.2009  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Georgia denies redeployment of its troops toward the border with Abkhazia, a spokesman for the Georgian Interior Ministry said Sunday.

"Georgia is not conducting any redeployment of troops toward the border with Abkhazia," Shota Utiashvili told the Moscow-based Ekho Moskvy radio.

Media have carried reports that Tbilisi is secretly grouping its troops near Abkhazia.

Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba, however, denied Utiashvili's statements, saying Abkhazian observers are registering Georgian troop redeployment.

"This is a fact, this has been confirmed, and the observers see and know this," Shamba told Ekho Moskvy.

Russia reported a complete pullout from undisputed Georgian territory ahead of an agreed October 10 deadline. Russian troops have been replaced by an EU monitoring mission tasked with ensuring security along the border with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia have refused to allow EU observers on their territory.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states on August 26 after a five-day war with Georgia, which launched an attack on South Ossetia to try and regain control of the region.

The two Georgian breakaway republics have had de facto independence since they broke away from Georgia in bloody post-Soviet conflicts in the early 1990s.

01.04.2009  RIA Novosti

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe is pulling its mission out of Georgia, after its mandate expired on Thursday.

Russia insists a separate mission needs to be formed in the newly recognized states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"The mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia, which has incorporated an office in Tskhinval, is not merely running out timewise, it has been used up in essence," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry also complained of unwillingness on the behalf of other member countries to strike a new deal.

"Instead of a business-like dialogue on tasks and modalities for new OSCE presences, some countries have simply proposed extending the former mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia, which would mean the organisation's complete separation from reality," said the Ministry.

The deputy head of the mission in Georgia Gottfried Hanne said on Thursday that there was a real need for monitoring to continue, because the situation had "not returned to normal" following the fighting.

The mission opened in 1992 during the first wave of bloody conflicts between Georgia and South Ossetia among other things. The mission tries to promote a peaceful resolution of tensions between Georgia and South Ossetia, tensions that led to the armed conflict in August.

The mission employed around 200 people. However, a special dispensation has been granted for twenty OSCE observers to remain in Georgia - but outside South Ossetia - until February 19.

01.01.2009  Russia Today