Georgian-Russian relations
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Georgian-Russian relations are the relations between Georgia and Russia and between the Georgian and Russian people in particular which lasts from the middle ages.
[edit] Relations after the Rose Revolution
Russia has lost its role as a mediator in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, according to Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili. Speaking in an interview with a Russian newspaper, Bezhuashvili said that Georgia would try to create channels for "direct dialogue" alongside existing negotiating formats. Bezhuashvili also said that UN monitoring of the Kodori Gorge, which was suspended three years ago, could resume within "two or three weeks" once security has been established. The following is the text of the interview published by Vremya Novostey on 4 August:
“Russian-Georgian relations are going through a crisis. The Georgian operation in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge led Moscow to accuse Georgia of violating earlier agreements. Tbilisi responded by accusing Moscow of supporting separatists. The day before yesterday, in the evening, the first casualties occurred among the Russian peacekeepers since the situation intensified: Maksim Basenko and Vladimir Vasilchuk were shot dead in the Gudauta District. Their deaths are most likely connected with the criminal world, since the peacekeepers were escorting a large sum of money for the payment of wages. The Abkhaz authorities are conducting an investigation. But Georgia perceives what happened as confirmation of the complex nature of the situation in the unrecognized republic. [1]”
Russia has granted citizenship to many residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tbilisi regularly accuses Moscow of meddling in its internal affairs; Moscow says Tbilisi is preparing for military operations.[2]
Georgian Foreign Ministry accuses Russian peacemakers of inactivity in the conflict zone of Abkhazia. "Russian peacekeepers continue to act in defiance of their mandated obligations, turning a blind eye to gross violation of law and human rights taking place in their very presence", according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry. [3]
All the international agreements represent an integral part of the Georgian legislation and are legally binding throughout the entire territory of Georgia, including Abkhazia. Besides, the Protocol under paragraph 4 of the Moscow Agreement of 14 May, 1994 stipulates that the CIS peacekeeping forces, while performing their functions, are obliged to comply with the requirements of Georgia’s domestic laws and regulations.[4]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemns the separatist regime’s unlawful practices and the inaction of the CIS peacekeepers and believes that in contrast with our dedicated efforts to establish stability and achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the acts of the Abkhazian side lay bare the genuine character of their destructive and aggressive goals and aspirations.[5]
Georgia still has two Russian military bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki, with the headquarters of the Russian military forces in the Caucasus located in Tbilisi. According to the 2005-6 agreements, their withdrawal will be completed by January 1, 2008.
Georgian-Russian relations deteriorated seriously during the September-October 2006 Georgia-Russia spying row.
