Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh says that his government has agreed in principle to allow Russia to create a naval base at their Black Sea port at Ochamchira. The construction of the base is expected to begin sometime later this year. The move will likely shore up the nation’s independence bid, having formally broken away from [...]
Today Russia released the findings of its probe into the August war with Georgia, with the head of the committee saying “we can say that we have witnessed the genocide of the Ossetian people.” Georgia’s actions in the war have been under repeated scrutiny since August, and last month Amnesty International accused them of “indiscriminate [...]
International mediators report that Russia and Georgia have agreed to work out their differences on the status of the region along the border between Georgia and the newly independent enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Still, the sides failed to finalize a text on the management of the area’s security and refugees. EU representative Pierre [...]
It was announced earlier today that Russian forces had withdrawn from the disputed village of Perevi along the border between Georgia and the separatist enclave of South Ossetia. The European Union said the pullback came at their behest, but Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said that Russian troops returned later in the day to reestablish [...]
At this week’s meeting, NATO will reportedly offer advice on reforms which Ukraine and Georgia need to pursue to be considered for potential membership, but they are not expected to offer formal roadmaps on the process. The move, proposed by the British government, aims to keep the two nations at least on track for potential [...]
In comments today Georgia’s former ambassador to Russia Erosi Kitsmarishvili said Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was ‘itching’ to do battle over South Ossetia, and blamed the nation for sparking a brief August war with Russia that ended in the destruction of much of Georgia’s military and Russia officially recognizing the independence of the separatist enclaves [...]
After a reported shooting near a motorcade taking Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and visiting Polish President Lech Kaczynski to the Ossetian border, the Georgian government issued a statement claiming Russian soldiers fired the shots from 30 meters away. President Saakashvili said the attack was aimed at the two leaders, and underscored the “unpredictable people” the [...]
Amnesty International has issued a comprehensive new report on the August war between Russia and Georgia in which it details concerns regarding serious human rights violations and urges an investigation into the conduct of all parties. Serious accusations were once again aimed at the Georgian military, who is again reported to have launch “indiscriminate attacks” [...]
A senior Russian military diplomat is quoted as saying that if NATO grants Membership Action Plans to Georgia and Ukraine, the Russian government will ultimately pull out of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. The CFE is a treaty first put in place in the waning days of the Soviet Union, and sets limits [...]
Growing doubts about the government’s actions in the August war with Russia, which destroyed much of Georgia’s military, as well as residual anger over last year’s anti-opposition crackdown seem palpable today as over 10,000 members of the opposition rallied in the streets of Tbilisi demanding new parliamentary and presidential elections. Newly available reports by independent [...]
