The State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, ratified treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with Abkhazia and South Ossetia on October 29.

The three countries say this has removed the last obstacle to the deployment of Russian military bases in the two republics, but analysts are not convinced this will strengthen stability in the Caucasus.

Grigory Karasin, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said: "We need to have one brigade, or approximately 3,800 troops, in each of the two republics to ensure the security of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

A Russian base in South Ossetia could be deployed near Tskhinval. Sergei Shamba, the foreign minister of Abkhazia, said his republic would assign land plots for Russian bases in Sukhum and Ochamchira.

"These will be naval bases, with a clause on their deployment to be added to an agreement on military cooperation," Shamba said. "The drafting of the bill could not begin before Russia ratified the friendship treaty. We will step up the work now, especially on military agreements."

According to sources in the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow is also trying to encourage more countries to recognize the independence of the two republics.

So far, only Nicaragua has followed Russia's example, but a high-ranking Russian diplomat has told the business daily Kommersant that "efforts to attain this goal have never stopped," adding that Venezuela was a distinct possibility.

10.30.2008  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, Abkhazia doubts the ability of EU observers in Georgia to play a constructive role in preventing further conflict, Abkhazia's foreign minister said in a letter to the UN Security Council president Monday.

"The replacement of the CIS Collective Forces in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone with European Union observers will not resolve the security problems in the region," Sergei Shamba told Zhang Yesui in the letter.

Shamba also informed Yesui of alleged Georgian acts of sabotage in Abkhazia and called on the UN Security Council to give an assessment of the situation. He said in August-October at least 14 acts of sabotage were committed in the Gal Region in Abkhazia, resulting in five dead and three wounded.

Russia handed control of buffer zones adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, over to EU and OSCE monitoring missions in Georgia on October 8, two days ahead of a deadline for Russian troops' withdrawal.

Earlier Monday, a senior Russian MP said the OSCE mission in the region was not coping with its tasks following the withdrawal of Russian troops.

"OSCE observers and peacekeepers are failing to cope with the situation in the region, and I fear that a new flare-up is possible," said Sergei Mironov, the speaker of the Russian parliament's upper house.

He said Georgia was still "interested in destabilizing the situation" in the region, and that international monitors were turning a blind eye.

UN Security Council consultations convened by Russia will take place in New York later on Monday to address Moscow's concerns over an alleged concentration of Georgian troops in the buffer zones adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

10.30.2008  The Moscow News

Moscow, The lower house of Russia's parliament ratified friendship treaties with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on Wednesday.

Russia recognized both republics as independent states on August 26 after the end of a five-day conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi, which launched an attack on South Ossetia in early August.

Russia established diplomatic ties with both states on September 9 and signed friendship treaties with them on September 17. Both the Abkhazian and South Ossetian parliaments have already ratified the treaties.

Under the pact, Russia has pledged to help the republics protect their borders, and the signatories have granted each other the right to set up military bases in their respective territories.

The treaty recognizes dual citizenship, as the majority of people living in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are also Russian passport holders. Russia has also agreed to unify its transportation, energy, and communications infrastructure with the republics.

A senior Russian MP said the treaties "are in full compliance with Russia's national interests."

Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the Duma's international affairs committee, said a number of provisions would be clarified in separate agreements.

"This concerns, in particular, military cooperation, citizenship and border protection," he said.

He also said the treaties would safeguard the republics against a possible recurrence of Georgian aggression.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said the treaties create a sound foundation for future bilateral cooperation and partnership.

The treaties have yet to be ratified by the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, before being signed by the president and entering into force.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia have so far only been recognized by Russia and Nicaragua. Belarus has said it may recognize the both republıcs in the future, and Venezuela has voiced support for Russia's move.

10.29.2008  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, Abkhazia doubts the ability of EU observers in Georgia to play a constructive role in preventing further conflict, Abkhazia's foreign minister said in a letter to the UN Security Council president Monday.

"The replacement of the CIS Collective Forces in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone with European Union observers will not resolve the security problems in the region," Sergei Shamba told Zhang Yesui in the letter.

Shamba also informed Yesui of alleged Georgian acts of sabotage in Abkhazia and called on the UN Security Council to give an assessment of the situation. He said in August-October at least 14 acts of sabotage were committed in the Gal Region in Abkhazia, resulting in five dead and three wounded.

Russia handed control of buffer zones adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, over to EU and OSCE monitoring missions in Georgia on October 8, two days ahead of a deadline for Russian troops' withdrawal.

Russia recognized both republics as independent states on August 26, two weeks after the end of a five-day war that began when Georgia attacked South Ossetia.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s amid armed conflicts that claimed thousands of lives.

Earlier Monday, a senior Russian MP said the OSCE mission in the region was not coping with its tasks following the withdrawal of Russian troops.

"OSCE observers and peacekeepers are failing to cope with the situation in the region, and I fear that a new flare-up is possible," said Sergei Mironov, the speaker of the Russian parliament's upper house.

He said Georgia was still "interested in destabilizing the situation" in the region, and that international monitors were turning a blind eye.

UN Security Council consultations convened by Russia will take place in New York later on Monday to address Moscow's concerns over an alleged concentration of Georgian troops in the buffer zones adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

10.27.2008  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, The president of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh has instructed that a special unit be set up to prevent attacks in the Gal District, near the de facto border with Georgia.

"The situation in the Gal District is tense. Practically every day Abkhazia is subject to strikes from Georgian territory," said Gen. Anatoly Zaitsev, who will be in charge of coordinating the operations.

In an interview with the Abaza TV channel, Zaitsev, the head of Abkhazia's General Staff, said that the gunfire was targeted at Abkhazian border guards and Russian checkpoints.

Last week, four Abkhaz nationals, including a senior counterintelligence officer, Eduard Emin-zade, were killed and a border outpost came under a fire in the area. The killings have increased tension between Abkhazia and Georgia.

The tasks of the unit will include "the destruction of subversive, intelligence and terrorist enemy groups," Zaitsev said, adding that an action plan had been drafted and the group would "be equipped with powerful weapons."

Sergei Bagapsh held an emergency meeting of the security council on Sunday which discussed the latest developments in the Gal District. The Abkhaz president accused Tbilisi of launching a large-scale terror campaign against Abkhazia, to try and annex the Gal District from Abkhazia.

Bagapsh ordered "an adequate response to all the provocations by the Georgian side using all the forces and means at their disposal." He also slammed the EU monitors, who took over from Russian peacekeepers in buffer zones along the border in early October, for ignoring "armed" attacks by Georgia.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as independent states on August 26. So far, only Nicaragua has followed suit.

The move came after a five-day war between Russia and Georgia that began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in a bid to regain the republic.

10.27.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, President Dmitry Medvedev appointed Russian envoys to South Ossetia and Abkhazia and met with them in the Kremlin on Friday.

"I've signed the decree appointing Elbrus Kanikoyevich Kargiyev the ambassador to the Republic of South Ossetia and Semyon Vyacheslavovich Grigoryev – the ambassador to the Republic of Abkhazia," Medvedev said at the beginning of the meeting, attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"I would like you to share with your proposals on how you'll arrange your work; I'd like to note that you're beginning your work in a rather difficult period; these are young countries, where much is yet to be accomplished, even from the point of view of statehood of these new subjects of law," the president said.

He encouraged the new envoys to help Abkhazia and South Ossetia in these matters.

Addressing Lavrov, the president noted that the Foreign Ministry should manage this activity "in accordance with the law and provisions on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"I wish you success," Medvedev said by way of conclusion.

10.24.2008  Itar-Tass

Moscow, Aid pledged to Georgia at a recent international donors meeting should go to all of the country, including South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the leader of a European Parliament delegation said in Moscow on Saturday.

"In principle, the aid is intended for every region that in our understanding is part of Georgia, including for Abkhazia and South Ossetia" said Ria Oomen-Ruijten, the co-chair of the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, two weeks after Moscow's military operation to "force Georgia to peace" that came in response to Tbilisi's attack on South Ossetia.

The Russian response was criticized in the West as "disproportionate."

A conference of international donors gathered on Wednesday in the Belgian capital, Brussels, to discuss financial assistance to help rebuild Georgia following the fighting.

Moscow on Thursday expressed the hope that countries pledging funds would ensure the aid was not spent on rearming the former Soviet state.

Oomen-Ruijten recognized that Georgia spent a significant part of its budget on defense, but emphasized that one of the conditions for the aid was that it not be spent on military purposes. She also suggested that Georgian estimates of the funding needed seemed a little high.

According to a joint assessment from the World Bank and the United Nations, Georgia will need around $3.4 billion in foreign donations over the next three years to support its economy, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and help refugees who lost their homes during the conflict.

In Brussels, Germany pledged 170 million euros ($218 million), Norway 235 million kroner ($34 mln), Ukraine $21 million, Latvia $700,000 and Italy $3.8 million.

The European Commission earlier pledged up to 500 million euros ($662.3 million) for the country up to 2010, with the U.S. offering around $1 billion.

10.25.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, A Russian Embassy building will be erected on Lakoba Street in the center of the Abkhaz capital, Sukhum, said Abkhaz Prime Minister Alexander Ankuab. He noted that Russia's Foreign Ministry staff and relevant specialists had already been to the capital and examined the potential building site.

Abkhaz authorities will prepare all necessary technical documentation, Ankuab stated. Although there is no design of the building yet, he added, it is likely to be constructed quickly.

10.23.2008  RBC

Sukhum, A senior Abkhazian counterintelligence officer was found dead early on Thursday in Abkhazia, a source in the Abkhazia's state security service said.

The body of Eduard Emin-zade, chief of the counterintelligence department at the Abkhazian Defense Ministry, was discovered in a house in the Gal district of Abkhazia with a gunshot wound to the head.

A team of investigators later found the body of the owner of the house in a roadside ditch 500 meters from the nearby Ingur checkpoint.

Emin-Zade survived an assassination attempt in June when he and his driver were seriously injured in an attack on their vehicle near a railway station in the Abkhazian capital of Sukhum. The assailants were never brought to justice.

Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh is currently holding an emergency meeting with the republic's senior security staff over Emin-zade's death, the source said.

10.23.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Russia will complete the setting up of military bases in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2009, the chief of the Russian General Staff said Tuesday.

"As part of concluded treaties, two bases, one in Abkhazia, the other in South Ossetia, with 3,700 personnel at each, are designed first of all to protect our interests and the interests of these republics," Army General Nikolai Makarov told journalists.

"The bases have been created, but the process of setting them up will be completed in 2009," he said.

Russia launched a five-day military operation to "force Georgia to accept peace" after Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia on August 8, killing a number of Russian peacekeepers and hundreds of civilians.

Russia's response to the Georgian attack was labeled disproportionate by a number of Western powers. On August 26, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

In accordance with an EU-brokered peace deal, Russia withdrew its forces from undisputed parts of Georgia ahead of an October 10 deadline. The peacekeepers were replaced by the EU monitoring mission in Georgia.

10.21.2008  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, The Abkhazian side has nothing to do with the shooting in the Georgian village of Khurcha. This is how chief of the Gal district police precinct Laurence Koghoniya commented on Sunday on information about shooting from Abkhazia on the village of Khurcha in the border Zungdidi district.

“In actual fact, shots from submachineguns and grenade launchers were heard from the territory of Khurcha on Sunday night and in the morning, but the Abkhazian side has nothing to do with this,” he told Itar-Tass. According to the police chief, “Georgian law enforcers fire on their villages on their own to call attention of the European Union to Georgia”.

According to a Tass dispatch from Tbilisi, representatives of the law enforcement bodies in the Zugdidi district told reporters on Sunday that in the morning, “firing with submachineguns and grenade launchers was conducted from the village of Nabakev, Gal district, in the direction of the Georgian police post in the village of Khurcha and nearby dwelling houses”.

The firing on the village of Khurcha lasted 15-20 minutes; roofs of several two-story dwelling houses were damaged, but there were no casualties.

According to law enforcement bodies of the Zugdidi district, “Georgian police did not return fire on the territory of the Gal district”. “The Georgian side immediately informed members of the Zugdidi office of the European Union observer mission of the firing on the village of Khurcha,” said representatives of the Zugdidi district law enforcers.

Khurcha is in direct proximity to the Gal district of Abkhazia.

10.19.2008  Itar-Tass

Abkhazia insists on equal treatment of all participants of the Geneva talks, related to the conflict in Caucasus, Foreign Minister of the Republic Sergei Shamba said at a press conference in Moscow on October 17.

Shamba put it as a pre-condition that participation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the negotiations scheduled for November 18, should enjoy equal treatment; meanwhile, he noted that the republics would not be satisfied by any “secondary quality.”

It is worth mentioning, on October, 15, in Geneva, the talks failed because of the Georgian protest against participation of representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

10.17.2008  REGNUM

Moscow, Russia's main military base in Abkhazia will be in Gudauta, and no new bases will be built, the Abkhazian foreign minister said Friday.

"We assume that derelict military bases in Abkhazia should be brought back to life to house the Russian military," Sergei Shamba said.

Russia is expected to station about 4,000 military personnel in Abkhazia. Russian peacekeepers have been based in Gudauta, at a former Soviet airbase.

"I cannot say how many Russian troops there are in Abkhazia now," Shamba said. "A significant number remained following the events of August."

Shamba said his country had banned the West from deploying observers on the republic's territory. "The EU is now on Georgian territory, they want to spread their observers to our territory. We will not agree to that," he said after a first round of discussions in Geneva.

The Abkhazian leader also said the Russian and Abkhazian authorities have agreed where the Russian embassy to Abkhazia and the ambassador's residence will be.

He also said the ambassador had been decided but would not identify the candidate. "It is a well-known Russian diplomat," he said, adding that there had been no decision on the Abkhazian ambassador to Russia.

Russia launched its five-day military operation to "force Georgia to accept peace" after Georgian troops attacked South Ossetia on August 8, killing a number of Russian peacekeepers and hundreds of civilians.

Russia's response to the Georgian attack was labeled disproportionate by a number of Western powers. On August 26, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

10.17.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, The parliaments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been given permanent observer status in parliamentary sessions of the Russia-Belarus Union State, a union official said on Friday.

Abkhazian and South Ossetian lawmakers will now be able to address parliamentary assembly sessions of the union state, Nikolai Tcherginetz, who heads the assembly's commission on foreign affairs said.

Russian media quoted a deputy speaker of South Ossetia's legislature, Yury Dzitstsoity, as saying that if Belarus recognized the both republics, they would become permanent members of the assembly.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier said his country would consider the regions' recognition request. Russia recognized the regions as independent states after a brief war with Georgia, which attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control in early August.

Nicaragua has so far been the only other country that has followed Russia in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The Caucasus conflict is the focus of international talks in Geneva, the next round of which will take place on November 18. The talks were suspended on Wednesday after Russia insisted Abkhazia and South Ossetia should participate and Georgia objected.

The Russia-Belarus Union State is a supranational entity consisting of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. It was formed in 1996 "with the intention of providing greater political, economic, and social integration."

10.17.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday Russia would set out specific security proposals at international talks on the Georgian conflict in Geneva on November 18.

"There will be no discussions on the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but there will be negotiations on regional security, and Russia has specific proposals on how security should be ensured," Lavrov said.

In particular, he said Russia would insist on an arms embargo to Georgia "to prevent its uncontrolled militarization," and would urge the EU to fulfill its obligations in the region.

The first round of the Geneva talks was suspended until November on Wednesday, due to concerns over the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, recognized by Russia as independent states.

The Russian minister also said South Ossetians have filed over 2,000 lawsuits against Georgia with the International Criminal Court.

Lavrov said the Geneva talks had hit "procedural snags" due to poor preparation by the organizers. They should have been "more transparent and consulted, including with us, on how best to resolve the procedural issues," he told Russian journalists on his return from Astana.

On Wednesday, Russia and Georgia accused each other of blocking the talks.

"Colleagues from the EU, OSCE and UN were too optimistic about Georgia's position on international discussions, and Georgia just banged the door and refused to sit down at the negotiating table with everyone's participation," Lavrov said.

Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in August after Georgia launched a military offensive against South Ossetia in an attempt to regain control over the republic, which split from Georgia in the early 1990s.

10.17.2008  RIA Novosti

 Georgia calls for continuing Caucasus security discussions

Tbilisi, Georgia calls for continuing talks over problems of ensuring stability and security in the Caucasus under the aegis of the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and is hoping that the Russian delegation "will join a substantive and result-oriented dialogue" the republic's Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili accused Russia of foiling the Geneva talks. Saakashvili, who is in Brussels, stated that despite the fact that the Georgian delegation was very constructive at the conference in Geneva, despite the fact that a chance appeared for the first time to hold a serious discussion with mediation of the EU and the USA, the Russian delegation quit the talks.

However, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said the first meeting had "exposed procedural difficulties: Russia did not take part in the first session, because the South Ossetian and Abkhazian representatives have not been invited. And half an hour before the second expanded meeting, the Georgian delegation unexpectedly refused to participate."

"The absence of the Georgian delegation is no tragedy, but it implies we have to think about the format of meeting suitable to all. In this situation, a decision was made to work though the organizational and protocol issues, to make them acceptable for all the participants the discussion, and meet again in Geneva tentatively on November 18," Karasin said as he was summing up the results of the meeting.

"There's a positive mood, but one has to find solutions suitable to all," he noted.

"During this time, EU representative for Georgia Pierre Morel will be able to visit Moscow, Sukhum, Tskhinval, and Tbilisi, in order to coordinate the positions of the participants," the diplomat added.

"It's important that representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia take part in the meting, without which it is impossible to conceive a solution of regional problems," he underlined at a news conference.

"Nobody was expecting the discussion to be easy and cloudless, because it was difficult to coordinate the format, the time and the level of the meeting. The main thing is that all have gathered to take part in discussion, including the delegations of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Karasin said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Abkhazian Foreign Minister Maxim Gundzhiya said "if Georgian authorities invite representatives of so-called Autonomous Abkhazia in Exile to international consultations, let them have talks with them, it's their internal affairs. These bodies mean nothing to us."

The Georgian delegation included chairman of the "government of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic" Malkhaz Akishbayev, his advisor Levan Geradze, head of the provision administration of South Ossetia Dmitry Sanakoyev and head of the Eredvi municipality Goneri Kapanadze.

"The so-called autonomous bodies promoted by Georgian authorities everywhere, do not really represent anybody, and have nothing to do with Abkhazia. These bodies represent a non-existing country. The autonomous republic of Abkhazia has not existed de jure after the breakup of the USSA. These are absolutely illegitimate bodies, because nobody has elected them, nobody has voted for them," Gundzhiya said.

On Wednesday, Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said the format of the Geneva discussions and the status of their participants had to be improved.

"We'll be taking part in discussions only as equal participants in the process," Shamba underlined.

"Georgia was opposed, so the discussion failed. Many questions have remained, we'll be coordinating them. It makes no sense to hold discussions without us," the Abkhazian minister said.

For his part, South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioyev underlined that "we've arrived in Geneva as a recognized state and will be discussing all issues only from the position of recognized state - the Republic of South Ossetia."

The South Ossetian delegation comprised three people – Prime Minister Boris Chochiyev, Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioyev, and presidential adviser Konstantin Kochiyev.

The Abkhazian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba. It included presidential adviser for international issues Vyacheslav Chirikba and deputy Abkhazian Foreign Ministry representative in Germany Zeki Kapba.

10.16.2008  Itar-Tass

Sukhum, Abkhazian parliamentarians took part as observers during a session of the parliamentary assembly of the Russia-Belarus Union State of Russia in Moscow on Thursday, a parliamentary source said.

The Russia-Belarus Union State is a supranational entity consisting of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. It was formed in 1996 "with the intention of providing greater political, economic, and social integration."

The delegation includes Vyacheslav Tsugba, the deputy speaker, Guram Gumba, the chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee and Pavel Leshchuk, chairman of the economics committee.

In mid-September Abkhazia and South Ossetia said they planned to apply for membership of the CIS, the Russia-Belarus Union State, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Russia has traditionally dominated all three of these post-Soviet organizations.

On October 13 the Abkhazian parliament requested that Belarus recognize the country as an independent state.

10.16.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Russia expects agreements ensuring security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be developed during talks Wednesday in Geneva, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

International discussions on security and stability in the Caucasus started at the Geneva Palace of Nations and are off limits to reporters.

"We are convinced that these discussions must be held dynamically and result in specific agreements that would guarantee security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Andrei Nesterenko told journalists.

He said Russia expected the guarantees to be legally binding.

South Ossetia is represented at the talks by acting Prime Minister Boris Chochiyev and Abkhazia by Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba.

Abkhazian and South Ossetian representatives had been expected to be part of the Russian delegation.

The Russian delegation is led by Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.

No information was available about either the format of the discussions or its participants. UN representatives and other officials have declined to make any comment.

The United States and other Western countries are expected to press Russia on its compliance with troop commitments under the French-brokered ceasefire agreement with Georgia.

The State Department said Tuesday that Washington still had "serious concerns" over the Russian troops' location and their overall numbers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russia reported a complete pullout from undisputed Georgian territory ahead of the October 10 deadline. Its troops have been replaced by an EU monitoring mission.

Tbilisi has objected to Russia's military presence in the upper Kodor Gorge and the Akhalgor district, while Moscow says the areas are the parts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that had been occupied by Georgian troops.

10.15.2008  RIA Novosti

Geneva, International talks in Geneva on the recent Russia-Georgia armed conflict were suspended on Wednesday over "procedural difficulties," and will resume on November 18, a European Union diplomat said.

Pierre Morel said the talks had "encountered procedural difficulties," without elaborating further, and that all parties concerned had decided to suspend the meeting.

The talks were to focus on security arrangements for the republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as on Georgian and Western concerns over the Russian military presence in the region.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war after Georgia attacked South Ossetia on August 8.

Moscow subsequently launched a military operation to "force Georgia to peace."

Two weeks after the conclusion of the operation, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. The majority of residents of the two republics have had Russian citizenship for a number of years.

The Geneva talks were designed to follow up on the cease-fire deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Johan Verbeke, the UN secretary general's special representative for Georgia, warned against overdramatizing events at the beginning of talks, saying that all the parties to the conflict had come to Geneva and set out their cases. "The process is on track," he said.

Meanwhile, Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili, accused Russia of walking out of the talks, Reuters reported.

"Russia has just walked out of the Geneva talks ... which basically means that Russia has no interest whatsoever at this stage in any diplomatic process," he told reporters in Brussels.

However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, who led the Russian delegation, called Saakashvili's statement "a lie" and said the event was broken up by Georgia, which refused to take part in the second plenary session.

Karasin explained that two sessions had been scheduled for Wednesday and the Russian delegation refused to attend the first because representatives from Abkhazia and S. Ossetia were not invited to participate.

Georgia refused to take part in the second session, which involved all the sides in the conflict and the intermediaries - the UN, the EU, and the United States.

Abkhazia's foreign minister said the republic "was not satisfied with the status" it was offered at the talks. Sergei Shamba said Georgia refused to treat Abkhazia as an equal partner, and the meetings were not attended by Georgia.

"There were two separate meetings," Shamba said.

South Ossetia's acting prime minister, Boris Chochiyev, also said the republic's and Russian representatives did not meet with the Georgians in Geneva.

"What can one talk about with them [the Georgians]? No, we did not have any discussions," Chochiyev said.

The participation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the talks was a last-minute decision, taken after repeated demands by Russia that representatives of the republics be invited to attend.

The meetings in Geneva were hosted by the European Union, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The United States, which has backed its ally Georgia throughout the crisis, was represented by a delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried.

Karasin also said that during Wednesday's talks the U.S. supported a Russian proposal to adopt a document on the non-use of force in the Caucasus, which Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been refusing to sign for many years.

"Another priority is to reach an agreement prohibiting the deliveries of offensive arms to Georgia," he added.

10.15.2008  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Talks on the Georgia conflict in Geneva this week will produce no meaningful results if officials from South Ossetia and Abkhazia do not participate, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The international conference in Geneva starting on Wednesday will focus on future security arrangements for South Ossetia and Abkhazia, recognized as independent by Russia, and the situation in the region as a whole after Russia's five-day war with Georgia, which attacked South Ossetia in early August.

"Our position on the issue is clear and unchanging - without Abkhazia and South Ossetia, it will be impossible to reach any agreement on their security," Andrei Nesterenko said.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency, said on Monday that representatives from South Ossetia and Abkhazia "will most probably participate in the talks as the Russians requested."

Nesterenko also said the two republics, which Russia recognized as independent on August 26, would seek legal security guarantees, including agreements not to use force with Georgia, and that Russia is seeking detailed security regulations in areas adjacent to the two republics.

The spokesman reiterated Moscow's earlier appeals for an embargo on offensive and heavy weapons to Georgia to prevent a new wave of the Caucasus state's "unrestrained militarization."

Georgia's ally the United States and other Western countries are expected to look into Russia's compliance with its withdrawal commitment under the French-brokered ceasefire agreement with Georgia at talks in Geneva.

The State Department said on Tuesday the U.S. still had "serious concerns" over the Russian troops' location and their overall numbers in the separatist regions.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said: "There are still open question. I would expect that the issues of geography that we've talked about as well as issues of overall numbers that we talked about are going to be front and center during those October 15th discussions."

Russia reported a complete pullout from Georgian territory ahead of the October 10 deadline. Its troops have been replaced by a EU monitoring mission.

Tbilisi has objected to Russia's military presence in the upper Kodor Gorge and the Akhalgor district, while Moscow says the areas are the parts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that had been occupied by Georgian troops.

10.14.2008  RIA Novosti

Luxembourg, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday that representatives from South Ossetia and Abkhazia would take part in security talks scheduled for Wednesday.

The upcoming conference in Geneva will discuss future security arrangements for South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the situation in the region as a whole following the brief military conflict between Russia and Georgia in August.

"Representatives from South Ossetia and Abkhazia will most probably participate in the talks, as the Russians requested," the minister told a news conference in Luxembourg.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev urged last Friday the participation of both republics in Geneva talks saying that they "should take part in all talks on security in the region from the very beginning, as this directly concerns them."

Tbilisi attacked South Ossetia on August 7-8 in an attempt to regain control over the republic, which, along with Abkhazia, split from Georgia in the early 1990s. A number of Russian peacekeepers and a reported 1,600 South Ossetian civilians lost their lives during Georgia's attack on Tskhinval, the tiny capital of South Ossetia.

Russia subsequently launched a military operation to "force Georgia to peace." The operation was concluded on August 12, with Russian forces deep in Georgia.

In accordance with an EU-brokered peace deal, Russia withdrew its forces from undisputed parts of Georgia ahead of an October 10 deadline. The peacekeepers were replaced by the EU monitoring mission in Georgia.

However, Russia still has several thousand troops inside South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Moscow recognized as independent states on August 26. Moscow says they are needed to prevent further violence while Georgia calls them an occupying force.

Kouchner acknowledged and welcomed the early withdrawal of Russian troops from the buffer zones in Georgia adjacent to the republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

He also said discussions on restarting talks on a new agreement on Russia-EU strategic partnership would continue at an EU summit on October 15-16 in Brussels and at a Russia-EU summit in November in Nice.

10.13.2008  RIA Novosti

Luxembourg, Russia's future military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is an issue that should be decided by Moscow and the two  republics, Russia's envoy to the European Union said on Monday.

Russia declared Wednesday that it had completed its withdrawal from buffer zones near the two republics. However, France, which holds the EU presidency, said the pullout was incomplete as Russian troops remained in the Akhalgor district.

"Akhalgor is part of South Ossetia, just as the Kodor Gorge is part of Abkhazia, and the presence of Russian troops there is an issue to be decided by Russia and the governments of the two independent states," Vladimir Chizhov said.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, two weeks after concluding its operation to "force Georgia to peace" that began when Georgian forces attacked breakaway South Ossetia on August 8.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Monday the EU should announce the resumption of talks on a new partnership agreement with Russia at a meeting of the EU-Russia Council in Nice on November 14, referring to Russia's "constructive" troop withdrawal.

"Russia's behavior was very constructive," Frattini said on arriving in Luxembourg for a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

"I stick to the opinion that we should announce the resumption of talks already at the EU-Russia Council meeting," the Italian diplomat was quoted by Italy's Apcom news agency as saying.

The EU announced September 1 that it had suspended talks on the partnership and cooperation agreement with Russia over Moscow's military operation in Georgia and would not resume the negotiations until the country pulled all its troops in Georgia back to their pre-August 7 positions.

10.13.2008  RIA Novosti

Paris, France believes the U.N. peacekeepers from the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMG) should continue their presence in the entire territory under their mandate, including the Kodor Gorge.

“It’s important that the UNOMIG be able to carry out its mandate in the entire area of responsibility, including the Kodor Gorge,” the French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday. He welcomed the United Nations Security Council decision to extend the mission’s mandate for another four months.

He said the move was in full compliance with the September 8 agreement between Paris and Moscow. “It says that the Mission’s monitors will continue fulfilling their mandate in the area of their responsibility in numbers and according to the deployment scheme that existed on August 7, 2008.

10.11.2008  Itar-Tass

Bishkek, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia should take part in Geneva talks on the regions' future status, scheduled for October 15.

"It is essential for us that our partners from South Ossetia and Abkhazia take part in all talks from the very beginning, as this directly concerns them," Medvedev told journalists in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The upcoming conference in Geneva will discuss the future security arrangements in both republics and the situation in the region as a whole in the aftermath of a brief military conflict between Russia and Georgia in August.

Tbilisi attacked South Ossetia on August 7-8 in an attempt to regain control over the republic, which, along with Abkhazia, split from Georgia in the early 1990s. A number of Russian peacekeepers and a reported 1,600 South Ossetian civilians lost their lives during Georgia's attack on Tskhinval, the tiny capital of the breakaway province.

Russia subsequently launched a military operation to "force Georgia to peace." The operation was concluded on August 12, with Russian forces deep in Georgia.

Under an EU-brokered peace deal, Russia agreed to pull its peacekeepers out of undisputed parts of Georgia by October 10, leaving troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Moscow recognized as independent states on August 26.

Russia notified the EU of its completion of the full withdrawal of its peacekeepers from buffer zones adjacent to South Ossetia and Abkhazia on Wednesday. However it still has several thousand troops inside the both republics. Moscow says they are needed to prevent further violence while Georgia calls them an occupying force.

The peacekeepers were replaced by the EU monitoring mission in Georgia two days ahead of the stipulated ceasefire deadline of October 10.

Georgia claims however that Russia will not be in compliance with the ceasefire deal until it pulls its troops back to positions held before August's five-day war. Moscow, which plans to station some 7,600 soldiers in the two rebel regions, says its withdrawal from the buffer zones means it is already in compliance with the terms of the ceasefire.

10.10.2008  RIA Novosti

The RF General Staff has denied the start of deployment of Russia’s military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, RIA Novosti reported.

“Speaking about the start of deployment of military bases would be too early yet,” the RF General Staff Deputy Chief Gen-Col Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Friday. “Deploying troops in winter is a separate issue. Winters are sometimes severe even in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and we cannot abandon people in an open field,” the general explained.

According to Nogovitsyn, the RF military bases will be stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in line with the schedule and under the agreements concluded with those states.

Russia recognized August 26 independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and then inked the Friendship and Cooperation Treaties providing for deployment of military bases on their soil. Nogovitsyn didn’t comment on deployment dates but specified that they wouldn't hurry with it. “Everything in its own time,” Nogovitsyn said.

10.10.2008  Kommersant

Moscow, The U.S. has again refused entry visas to Abkhazian officials due to attend a UN Security Council meeting on the Georgian conflict, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

"Our repeated efforts to have Abkhazian representatives invited to an informal UN Security Council meeting have failed unfortunately over the unconstructive position of the U.S. administration, which has again denied them entry visas," Andrei Nesterenko said.

As New York is home to the United Nations headquarters, the United States is obligated, apart from in extraordinary circumstances, to allow foreign leaders to speak before the world body.

Russia proposed holding an informal UN Security Council meeting with representatives of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both recognized by Moscow after a brief armed conflict with Tbilisi in August.

Russia's ambassador at the UN, Vitaly Churkin, earlier said the Council had expressed an interest in such a meeting.

Nesterenko said last month visa applications for South Ossetian and Abkhazian representatives had been submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

It is not clear whether representatives of South Ossetia, which Georgia attacked in early August to retake it under central control, will be able to travel to the U.S.

The U.S. initially refused to issue a visa to Abkhazia's foreign minister, Sergei Shamba, in April 2007. Russia accused Washington of preventing a side in the conflict from speaking before the UN. The U.S. said Russia was trying to raise "false analogies" between Abkhazia and Kosovo complicating the discussion.

The Georgia conflict further stained relations between the U.S. and Russia. Washington accused Moscow of excessive use of force and violating Georgia's territorial integrity. Moscow said the U.S. administration had encouraged Georgian aggression.

10.09.2008  RIA Novosti

The CIS Council of Foreign Ministers has passed a decision to stop the activity of the Collective Forces for the Maintenance of Peace in Abkhazia, RIA Novosti reports, citing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov stated at the end of the meeting, which took place in Bishkek, that “At our proposal, a formal, technical decision was passed on the cessation of the activity of the Collective Forces for the Maintenance of Peace in Abkhazia, which were established by the heads of state of the CIS.”

Interfax reports that Lavrov also said that the minister made a formal decision to exclude Georgia from the organization, acting on the application filed by the Georgian leadership. Lavrov said that Georgia’s membership in the CIS will cease a year after the filing of the petition for it, that is, in August 2009.

10.09.2008  Kommersant

Moscow, A public opinion poll held in Ukraine has said that 50% of the country approves of Russia's recent recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The poll was carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center and the Ukrainian Research&Branding Group in August and September.

The Russian company's general director said that 50% of Ukrainians had stated that they approved of a decree signed on August 26 by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recognizing the two republics.

He also said that the decree was welcomed by 84% of Russians.

Russia recognized the two republics as independent states after a five-day conflict over South Ossetia. The conflict began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia on August 8 in a bid to regain control over the the republic.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko earlier accused Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of "treason and political corruption" over her failure to back him in his support for Georgia and condemnation of Russia's actions during the conflict.

Differences on a range of issues, including the Russia-Georgia war, caused the recent collapse of the Ukrainian ruling coalition.

So far, only Nicaragua has joined Russia in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign countries.

10.07.2008  RIA Novosti

 UNDP ready to continue programmes of relief to Abkhazia

Sukhum, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is ready to continue the implementation of the programmes of socio-economic and humanitarian relief to the population of Abkhazia’s districts affected by war the most, according to what Robert Watkins, the regional representative of the UNDP, said at the meeting with Abkhazia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba.

Watkins said in light of the latest events international organizations were showing considerable interest in Abkhazia and many of them were ready to start the implementation of humanitarian projects.

Shamba, in his turn, stressed the interest of the republic’s leaders in international organizations’ implementing projects of the humanitarian nature. “In conditions of the changed political situation there is a need to coordinate a new mandate of the United Nations Mission in Abkhazia that would also regulate the legal status of the United Nations structures.

10.06.2008  Itar-Tass

Moscow, Russia will not backtrack on its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries, the Russian ambassador to Georgia said Friday.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe urged Russia on Thursday to annul its August 26 recognition of the two Georgian breakaway regions.

"The recognition is an accomplished fact. The earlier Georgia and the international community understand that, the better," said Vyacheslav Kovalenko. The ambassador returned to Russia along with 22 embassy officials on Tuesday, a month after Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties with Moscow.

Kovalenko said negotiations were currently underway on which European country would represent Russia's interests in Georgia.

He said it was important not to sever all ties with Georgia.

"I think we will find a status that would give our diplomats immunity and enable them to perform their functions," the Russian ambassador said, adding that five diplomats and maintenance staff had stayed behind.

Speaking upon his arrival in Moscow on Tuesday, Kovalenko said it would be in the interests of Georgia "to be friends with everybody, using this friendship for the sake of its national interests."

Kovalenko described Georgia as an economically weak country with a poor population, and suggested Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia "try to establish a certain economic space."

So far, only Nicaragua has joined Russia in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign countries.

10.03.2008  RIA Novosti