Russia to open naval base in Georgian rebel region

RUSSIA: Russia will open a naval base in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, the head of the region’s separatist administration and a Russian military source were quoted as saying on Monday.

“Indeed, there is an agreement in principle on the creation of a base for ships of the Black Sea Fleet in the town of Ochamchire,” Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

“The sides agreed on certain technical matters. There are no officially signed documents yet,” he added.

Bagapsh’s comments came hours after a senior source in the Russian navy told the ITAR-TASS news agency that Moscow had decided to set up a naval base in the Abkhaz port of Ochamchire, on the region’s Black Sea coast.

“The principal decision on the question of creating a Black Sea Fleet base in Ochamchire has been made.... It will take more than a year to carry out all the necessary work,” the source was quoted as saying.

One purpose of the Ochamchire base would be to counter “the threat of diversions and terrorist attacks by the Georgian special services,” he added.

Russia recognised Abkhazia and another separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent states after a brief war with Georgia in August. The move provoked intense criticism from abroad and only Nicaragua has followed Moscow’s lead.

Since then Russia has based thousands of troops in the breakaway regions, prompting a furious reaction from Tbilisi. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is currently based in Ukraine’s port of Sevastopol under a lease agreement, and Ukraine has repeatedly threatened to force the fleet to leave after the lease expires in 2017.

Moscow, Tuesday, AFP