In the wake of weeks of naval blockades by neighboring Georgia, the Republic of Abkhazia announced today that it has signed a military defense pact with Russia, one which Russia says will be aimed at preventing Georgia from attempting to occupy the separatist enclave.
Following the pact, the Russian Coast Guard has warned that it will not allow the naval blockade to continue, and says it will detain any Georgian military ships which attempt to enter Abkhaz waters.
Georgia condemned both moves, saying the military pact proved that Russia was “barbaric” and that the coast guard’s comments proved that the Russian Coast Guard are pirates under international law.
Long enjoying de facto independence from Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared formal independence following the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Georgia has not recognized the independence of either and has promised to use any means necessary to reclaim control over them.
Is this a distraction engineered to divert Russian attention from an Israeli/US attack on Iran? It appears a dangerous escalation of tit for tat between Russia and the West is reaching critical dimensions.
Tit for tat, ah yes…But who's the tit? Surely by your comment, you're stating that this is yet another Western manuevre for global hegemony and just one more reference point in our history that when looked back upon will only fasten the West's position as the most grand imperialist bunch on morons in history.
The fact that the FedGov and Israel are backing Georgia points exclusively to the string-pullers in this affair.
Considering that it's the Russian Coast Guard that's going to be involved with whatever passes for the Georgian Navy, the Russians won't have committed much of anything that matters in a larger showdown.
Is this provocation regimen, the West's attempt to trade Georgia for Iran's centrifuges..??? If so that hothead SAAKASHVILI is more of a TOOL than anyone could have possibly imagined……. Still, in snatch and grab, the biggest hand wins………
That's about as far as it can go – using South Ossetia and Abkhazia as bargaining chips. In return, Russia will go ahead with the West's upcoming sanctions against Iran – and/or possibly to get Russia to calm down on assisting Iran with missile defence weaponry and nuclear technology. It's a ridiculous trade off. Russia and the SCO – along with most of the world oustide of the Neocon and war mongering so and so's – understand that Iran has no nuclear weapons programme and have backed South Ossetia and Abkhazia's separation from the Western dominated Georgia.
I wouldn't wanna be one of who was responsible the a policy of baiting the bear. If they think that they will keep the bear busy there while they steal the honey somewhere else they may get some surprises from the bees…..and these bees have the deadliest sting… The policy of ever escalating rhetoric ever ratcheting provocation is more dangerous to THOSE with little or almost NO real estate…in this nuclear age….. Too many defensive weapons are nuclear…so any REAL provocation will go nuclear almost immediately… IF the aggressor uses these weapons……the game can get serious….. and the Georgia provocation may have compelled the bear to have a plan for this event. Trying to "play" the bear can be trouble… Putin warning: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8251531.st…