Sukhum – The Abkhazian administration placed the army on alert and took emergency measures across the frontier areas after two Georgian spy aircrafts were shot down while they flew over Gal on Sunday.
President Sergei Bagapsh of Abkhazia gave orders for any targets to be shot down in case they entered Abkhazian airspace without permission. Bagapsh afterwards summoned to his office Sergei Chaban, Commander of the Russian Peacekeeping Forces, and gave information to him about the goings-on. The Russian Peacekeeping Forces are deployed under the umbrella of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to protect the area.
"The Abkhazian Armed Forces were placed on full alert by an order from Bagapsh," said Sergei Shamba, Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, "after two Georgian unmanned reconnaissance aircrafts were shot down on Sunday when they flew over Abkhazia." Placing the Abkhazian army on alert was the first thing to do, said Shamba: "We have got all preparations started as precautionary measures against a possible attack on our territory and declared mobilization." Shamba accused Georgia of violating once more the Moscow Agreement on Ceasefire, signed signed on May 14, 1994: "In spite of numerous statements issued from the Abkhazian administration, Georgia continues to violate our airspace; what is more, both of its spy aircrafts were shot down while they flew over the security area."
Meanwhile, Abkhazia would respond in case the Georgian army started a military operation against it by intruding as far as into Kutaisi, one of the largest cities of western Georgia, said Abkhazian Minister of Defense Merab Kishmaria. "We know that Georgia has its plans underway to launch a war on us. We are ready to fight back. I would like the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili that it will only take us a couple of days to intrude into Kutaisi if Georgia starts its attacks. We are equipped with sufficient means to do so."
The Abkhazian administration imposed a 9.00 p.m. to 9.00 a.m curfew in Gal, a region that hosts Georgians. Also, the Gal residents are not permitted to go to and come from Zugdidi, a border town of Georgia.
While the Georgian army is reported to have deployed 7 500 troops along its border with Abkhazia, the number of Russian peacekeepers deployed in Abkhazia has risen to 2 500, according to a statement released from the Headquarters of the Russian Peacekeeping Forces. (Agency Caucasus)
