Tbilisi protests against Russian boats entering Abkhazia

The Georgian Foreign Ministry considers that the deployment of Russian coast guard boats in Abkhazia demonstrates Russia’s “negligence of international law and regulations.”

At least three Russian military boats of the Sobol and Mangust types are reported to have entered Abkhazia on Monday evening to be stationed at the Abkhazian port of Ochamchire. According to Deputy Chief of the Border Guard Department of Russia's Federal Security Service in Abkhazia Lieutenant-Colonel Oleg Frolov, the aim of the military vessels is "to protect the maritime borders" of the breakaway territory.

"We [Georgia] want to remind Frolov that international law does not recognise the concepts of 'territorial waters of Abkhazia', or 'sea area of Abkhazia'. Accordingly, Russia's actions qualify as piracy and have as their goal strengthening the invader's military force in the occupied territories of a sovereign state," the Georgian Ministry’s statement says. "The deployment of the coast guard boats in Ochamchire raises the level of provocation threat against Georgia. This action endangers the peace and stability of not only the South Caucasus but the whole Black Sea region and neighbouring states.”

Opposition politicians have also called the entry of the Russian boats a violation of the ceasefire agreement which ended last August's conflict. “The aggression against Georgia continues. The entrance of high speed boats which have the technical ability to stop moving vessels and block the [Georgian] port of Poti bears a high risk,” stated Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Paata Davitaia, an opposition member, at a special briefing in Tbilisi on December 7.

Davitaia proposed that the Georgian Government request the help of “Georgia’s Western partners” in protecting Georgian waters. “We have to appeal to our partners in the USA and NATO countries and ask American or NATO vessels to enter the Black Sea and patrol the area. This may help us avoid provocations,” stated the Vice Speaker.

Commenting the possibility of NATO vessels being deployed in the Black Sea area, Georgian political analyst and former Ambassador to Russia Zurab Abashidze referred to the 1936 Monroe Convention, which strictly limits the international naval presence in the Black Sea. “The Western powers are quite loyal to this convention and it will be very problematic to implement the plan proposed by Davitaia,” Abashidze said. However speaking to The Messenger on Monday he noted that the plan should be “discussed in a variety of institutions” and “although it may not be so easy to implement it still could be.”

Referring to the increase of the Russian military presence in the breakaway region, Abashidze noted that this process may lead to even more provocations taking place. “The formula is simple – the more weapons you have collected in one place the higher risk of provocation you get,” concludes the analyst.