Moscow – The Russian Ministry of Defense announced immediate plans to reinforce its peacekeeping forces currently deployed along the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia because it said that Georgia was apparently making arrangements for a military operation against the two ‘de facto’ independent countries.
"It has become necessary to increase the number of peacekeeping troops in the conflict zone as long as what has recently been happening over there is concerned," the Russian Ministry of Defense said in its statement. It did not disclose the number of additional troops to be sent off to the zone. It is, however, expected that 15 check points will be set up along the border of Abkhazia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense made it clear in its statement that any possible attacks by Georgia would definitely be responded to: "Russia will harshly respond to Georgia in case it tries using force on the Russian peacekeeping forces or on the Russian citizens."
The Russian Foreign Ministry praised the Russian peacekeeping forces for the role that they played in preventing the regional tension from ever mounting.
"The likelihood of Russia using force in Abkhazia and South Ossetia comes from the fact that some of its citizens live in those two countries. Russia owns the right to use force to protect its citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in case their lives are in danger or they feel threatened anyway," said Sergei Mironov, Chair of the Council of Russian Federation.
There are currently two thousand Russian troops as part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping forces on duty in Abkhazia, and there are one thousand Russian troops as part of the Joint Peace Forces on duty in South Ossetia.
Valeri Kenyakin, Russian Foreign Ministry’s special envoy for relations with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), said on April 25 that Russia would resort to the use of military force to defend its citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in case Georgia launched a war on those two countries. (Agency Caucasus)
