Through air communication between Moscow and Sukhum might open at the beginning of this July already, the President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh said.

According to him, at the first stage it is a question of two flights a week which will be carried out by passenger planes of the Russian Air Force. "They will depart from Chkalovsky airport situated near Moscow and arrive in Sukhum", Bagapsh said. Thereupon he added that the air harbour of the Abkhaz capital is completely ready for receiving passenger planes.

Located 18 kilometres away from the city, the Sukhum Babushary airport was built in the 1960th and till 1993 when it was closed, it could receive in the "peak" summertime for the Black Sea coast up to 5 thousand passengers a day. The available runway of 3,6 kilometres makes it possible for the airport to receive almost all types of civil planes.

"Recently the air harbour has been used only for flights within the republic as well as by Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the CIS  in a zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and the UN Observer Mission in Georgia", the director general  of "Abkhaz airlines" Vyacheslav Eshba said. There was only one domestic civil flight to the mountain village of Pskhu in the Sukhum district.

From the technical viewpoint the airport  is ready for active work too. "During the events in South Ossetia for two days Babushary has received several dozens of heavy transport planes", Eshba said.

The plane of the Russian Foreign Minister who arrived in Abkhazia in September, 2008 became the first civil plane to have landed at the Sukhum airport for many years.

05.27.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 Staff mobilization exercises with Gagra military registration and enlistment office, the 7th independent motorized infantry brigade began

Staff mobilization exercises with the military registration and enlistment office of the Gagra district and the 7th independent motorized infantry brigade have begun.

The purpose of the exercises is to work through the actions of the Gagra district military registration and enlistment office in mobilization resources supply during wartime, the acting chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Abkhazia colonel Aslan Ankuab said.

The exercises will finish on May 28.

05.27.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

The President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh believes that the  European Union's policy in relation to Abkhazia is slightly changing. “There is a new formula “Partnership without recognition”, he said at a news conference on Monday, May 24.

Sergey Bagapsh emphasized that Abkhazia is an open country, ready to discuss any issues with those who are ready to talk to it. “We are ready to discuss interesting economic offers”, the head of state added.

The President is certain that they will not manage to keep  Abkhazia in isolation and to put pressure upon it any longer.

Answering a journalist's question what are the prospects of further recognition of Abkhazia, Bagapsh said: “The process of international recognition of Abkhazia's independence by other countries will not be quick. Time will show how the events will be developing. However, now there are countries that intend to recognize us, but I will refrain from naming them for the time being”.

“We do not beg anyone to recognize us. We understand the problems existing in the world. But it is hard to understand when citizens of Abkhazia having Russian citizenship are refused visa to enter the EU countries for treatment. One thing if I am, as President, a politician, for example, refused a visa to deliver a lecture in France; the other thing when a visa is not granted to a child who needs treatment”, Bagapsh said.

According to Bagapsh, it is hard to understand the countries that declare protection of human rights, and at the same refuse freedom of movement to Abkhazia's residents.

The President considers the "double standards” policy used by the USA and the European Union unacceptable.  “The recognition of Kosovo and the flat non-recognition of Abkhazia is a glaring example of that”, Bagapsh added.

05.25.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 Countries telling Abkhazia it should live in peace and harmony with Georgia, continue to arm this country intensively - Sergey Bagapsh

Countries telling Abkhazia it should live in peace and harmony with Georgia, continue to arm this country intensively, the President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh told journalists in Sukhum. He is certain that Georgia does not abandon its aggressive plans to return Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Refusal to sign a peace treaty with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, according to Bagapsh, is evidence of it.

“Abkhazia will never be a part of Georgia any more. We can build good-neighbor relations with this state only as two subjects of international law equal in rights. One cannot raise the Wall of China between us, so we should learn to build normal human relations. It cannot be that everybody around is bad, only Georgians are good. To build normal relations is a politicians’ task, and they should strive for that”, Bagapsh stressed.

According to him, “there are no bad nations and peoples; there are bad politicians who bring up their states to a critical mark as it is happening in Georgia today”. “If the current Georgian leadership continues further on the same lines, the situation will be being aggravated more and more”, Bagapsh added.

According to the President, “the world is fine because there are a lot of nations and nationalities in it, and all are worthy of being independent and proud”.

“We are called "the country of soul” for a particular reason. We love guests, friends, we are not aggressive, but we will never give away what belongs to us. We do not need a square meter from Georgians and we have no intention to give away a square meter of our land”, Bagapsh declared.

05.24.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

The president of the republic of Abkhazia said on Monday the number of crossing points on the border with Russia should be increased.

Sergei Bagapsh said he had been receiving numerous complaints from Russian vacationers over the long lines across the border as the summer season begins.

"What is going on there now is outrageous: Women with children who want to vacation in Abkhazia have to stand in long lines for hours in the hot sun on the Russian side of the border," he said.

He also said border crossing procedure during the summer tourist season should be simplified.

The president said a meeting would be held next week with Russian Border Service and customs officials to discuss the situation.

The only border crossing between Russia and Abkhazia is in the village of Giachrypsh, where a bridge crosses the River Psou. Bagapsh also suggested a new bridge should be built across the border river, adding that it could be built in 2011.

In early April, Russia ratified treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia on joint border protection.

Under the deals, South Ossetia and Abkhazia delegate to Russia the authority to secure their borders with Georgia.

05.24.2010  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, Abkhazia’s President Sergei Bagapsh said on Monday the 100 days of his second term in office were a logical continuation of his first five-year term as president.

“Now, like in the past five years, the republic is faced with very complicated tasks. Previously, they were caused by the Georgian invasion in July 2006, problems in the Gal region and non-recognition of the republic. Now other issues top the agenda. Thanks to the Russian Federation, sanctions against us have been lifted, we have been recognized by Russia, the world’s biggest state and the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and by another three states,” Bagapsh told a news conference organized by the Ainar media club.

According to Bagapsh, the fothcoming period will be focused on “creative endeavours.” “The time when we were between war and peace, when we had to expend energy in military operations, in permanent discord and disputes with Georgia, are coming to an end. It is time to implement large-scale projects, and what is most important, to put the state to the track of peaceful development, which is not always easy,” he said.

The Abkhazian president noted that the republic is currently building new motor ways, upgrading its schools and hospitals, overhauls its cities. In his words, Russian military bases and border troops stationed in the republic are the guarantee of peace there. Feeling that the “long-awaited peace has finally come,” citizens of the republic have settled down and started to build a new life for themselves and their children, he added.

05.24.2010  ITAR-TASS

Thursday May 27, conference at the Party,
Library of the Italian Senate,Piazza Madama

Friday – Saturday May 28-29 2010
(Radical Via di Torre Argentina 76)

The European Parliament has backed the conclusions made by the European commission investigating the conflict involving South Ossetia in August 2008. A report by the commission, headed by Heidi Tagliavini, says the war was started by Georgia.

As compared to just 6 months ago, politicians in Europe show a more bias-free vision of the conflict. Vladimir Zakharov, an expert with the Caucasian Studies Center at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, comments. Even though the commission’s conclusions may have struck the European lawmakers as surprising, he says, they had to accept them along with the fact that Georgian officials could be wrong and Georgia’s interpretation of the events could not always be taken for granted. The report’s cross-cutting provision is that the aggression against South Ossetia on the night of August 8th 2008 was unleashed by the incumbent Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who provided no convincing explanation for the move. All facts were against him. One of the presidential orders literally required the commander of the 4th infantry brigade of the Georgian armed forces to carry out a combat operation in South Ossetia, defeat the enemy and restore Georgia’s jurisdiction in the region within 72 hours. The invasion caused considerable destruction and loss of life, first of all, in the capital Tskhinval, and sent more than 30 thousand people on the run. Russia had to intervene to stop the bloodshed and prevent the conflict from spilling into neighboring Abkhazia.

This, however, did not prevent the West from presenting the Russian operation in the Caucasus in a distorted light. Some American and European politicians and news media were quick to speak of a Russian aggression. Later on, they changed this wording to what they described as the “disproportionate use of force by Russia”. All these so-called “insights” stemmed from the desire to hush up the role of western countries in the 2008 events in the Caucasus. Saakashvili’s patrons in Europe “made” their own contribution to the aggression by re-equipping and re-training the Georgian army. They are now busy “re-evaluating their values”, particularly amid a cooling in Georgia’s relations with the US. European lawmakers took about two years to clarify the situation, and they did so shortly after members of the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, who had studied a report on South Ossetia by Heidi Tagliavini’s commission.

The assembly’s spokesman David Wilshire submitted a package of proposals providing for a shutdown of the so-called Russian-Georgian dossier. Europe is becoming more and more aware that isolation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two republics that declared independence, would only aggravate tension in the region. By this awareness it is giving us a clear sign that though indirectly, it has finally accepted the present-day realities in the Caucasus.

05.21.2010  The Voice of Russia

Europarliament has supported the main conclusions of the EU-backed report into the causes of the 2008 Russian-Georgian conflict  prepared by Heidi Tagliavini.

According to the report, it was Georgia which initiated the war. This is said in a resolution adopted in Strasbourg Thursday. The deputies also backed the expansion of EU monitors’ mission on the Caucasus.

The resolution says isolation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are counter-productive for the solution of the conflict. The Geneva talks on security on the Caucasus which feature all the parties concerned, the UN and the OSCE are of a special importance in the current situation.

Still the report backs territorial integrity of internationally recognized borders of Georgia.

05.20.2010  The Voice of Russia

Sukhum, MPs voted unanimously for ratification of the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Government of the Russian Federation about mutual visa-free trips of citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia and citizens of the Russian Federation”.

The Agreement on visa-free trips of the two countries’ citizens was signed by the heads of Russia’s and Abkhazia’s foreign policy departments Sergey Lavrov and Sergey Shamba in Sukhum on October 2, 2009. It should have taken effect in 30 days, however because of the necessary finalizations both in the Russian Federation, and in Abkhazia, it was ratified half a year later.

The document makes provision for visa-free trips of the citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Russian Federation for a period of up to 90 days. The agreement will be applied not only to passport for travel abroad bearers, but also to those who have national passports, a seaman passport, as well as to children under 14 with a birth certificate.

According to the President’s special representative to the Parliament Dmitry Shamba, the visa-free regime will promote simplification of doing joint business; will favor trade and investments, economic growth and more close ties between people in Abkhazia and Russia.

05.21.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

Sukhum, The People’s Assembly MPs discussed eight issues at the Thursday session on May 20. MPs approved 2010 budgets of the off-budget Funds – the Pension Fund, the Road Fund and the Social Insurance and Occupational Safety and Health Fund.

President Sergey Bagapsh submitted three bills for the Parliament’s consideration: “About an amendment to the Law of the Republic of Abkhazia “About the taxation system in the form of a special separate activity categories tax", "About an amendment to the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Abkhazia “About the Cabinet of the Republic of Abkhazia" and "About ratification of the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Government of the Russian Federation about mutual visa-free trips of citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia and citizens of the Russian Federation”. MPs rejected the first bill, giving reason that “it is not finalized"; two others were passed in the final reading.

MPs made an amendment to the Law “About the Cabinet (Government) of the Republic of Abkhazia” according to which the State Committees Chairmen will not be included in the Government henceforth. Thereby, the Cabinet of the Republic of Abkhazia includes the Prime Minister, Vice-Prime Ministers, Ministers and the Cabinet’s Office chief.

Earlier the Government had included six State Committees heads.

05.21.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

Sukhum, A monument to a people's poet of Abkhazia Bagrat Shinkuba was unveiled on Muhajirs Quay in Sukhum. On May 12 Bagrat Shinkuba would be 93.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by the President Sergey Bagapsh, the vice-president Alexander Ankuab, the Prime Minister Sergey Shamba, members of the Government, poet's children and grandchildren, writers, students, schoolchildren. They laid flowers to the monument.

The monument was unveiled by the chairman of the Union of writers of the Republic of Abkhazia Terenty Chania and a people's poet of Abkhazia Mushni Lasuria; then the head of the Sukhum-Abkhaz Eparchy priest Vissarion Aplia consecrated it.

The bronze sculpture installed on a granite pedestal is three meters high. Its author is a sculptor Tsira Akhba whom architects Beslan Kaslandzia and Svetlana Shamenkova have worked with.

The Speaker of the Parliament Nugzar Ashuba, the Minister of Culture Nugzar Logua, poets Terenty Chania, Mushni Lasuria spoke at the unveiling ceremony, No 1 B. Shinkuba's Sukhum secondary school pupils read out poet's verses.

“For certain there is no man in Abkhazia who has never read his works and does not know at least one Bagrat Shunkuba's verse  by heart”, Nugzar Ashuba said.

“The name of Bagrat Vasilievich will remain in the history of our nation forever. Great works of literature such as “The last from the gone” have come from his pen. He is the favorite national poet, and for us he is immortal”, Nugzar Logua said.

Bagrat Shinkuba died in 2004 at the age 87. He is a D. I. Gulia's State prize winner, a Hero of Socialist Labor, a holder of the  "Akhdz-apsha" Order of the first degree.

05.18.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

Tiraspol, Abkhaz athletes took part in the international boxing Tiraspol City Administration and Tiraspol City Assembly of People's Deputies Trophy dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and to the 20th anniversary of formation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian republic.

Representatives of the majority of the CIS countries participated in the tournament.

Abkhaz athletes won first places in their weight categories: Inar Tarkil (weight to 69 kg., won 4 fights) and Astamur Enik (weight to 81 kg., won 3 fights).

05.18.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

Taking a decision on the issue is a matter of time, state secretary of the “union state” Pavel Borodin thinks.

“I think it will recognize. There’s an established procedure of solving such matters,” Pavel Borodin told Interfax on Tuesday.

According to the state secretary the “Belarusian party is inclined to settling this question positively.”

Borodin supposes after Minsk recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the union state may be enlarged by the two republics.

It should be noticed that only two states, Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru, have recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka said last September Belarus would recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Experts regard this statement as flirting with the European Union to get new loans.

05.18.2010  Charter97

Moscow, The Embassy of the Republic of Abkhazia to the Russian Federation opened in Moscow. The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia Maxim Ghunjia, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Andrey Nesterenko, the director of the Department of the CIS countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Kelin, and the State Duma deputies.

"The opening of the Embassy will promote strengthening of our contacts, as well as will help to increase our bilateral mutual relations on the international scene", Andrey Nesterenko said.

In 2009 the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed an order establishing Embassies of the Russian Federation to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russia recognized independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, 2008; diplomatic relations were established between the states on September 9.

05.18.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 Memorandum of Cooperation between Parliaments of Abkhazia and Kabardino-Balkaria signed in Sukhum

Sukhum, A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Parliaments of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (Russian Federation) was signed today in Sukhum. Signatures to the document were put by the Speaker of the Abkhaz Parliament Nugzar Ashuba and the Chairman of the KBR Parliament Anuar Chechenov.

On May 12 a KBR parliamentary delegation headed by Speaker Anuar Chechenov arrived in Abkhazia on a working visit. The delegation included the head of the KBR Parliament's Office Vladimir Bitokov, the Chairman of the KBR Parliament's Committee on Ecology and Nature Management Victor Nesutulov, a member of the Committee on Economic Policy, Property and Entrepreneurship Jury Afasizhev, the Minister of Agriculture and Food of Kabardino-Balkaria Tembulat Erkenov, the Chairman of the Youth chamber to the KBR Parliament Aslan Shapshiev.

“In view of the Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Aid Treaty between Russia and Abkhazia from September 17, 2008, in an effort to create legal basis for further development of interstate relations equal in rights between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia in political, social and humanitarian spheres, realising thereupon the importance of establishing direct ties between bodies of legislative power”, the parties expressed aspiration “for developing and strengthening inter-Parliamentary ties on principles of equality, parity and mutual taking into account interests of the parties, for exchanging experience of parliamentary activity and for promoting mutual business contacts”.

According to the Memorandum, the parties will communicate regularly about current activities of both the Parliaments. MPs of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic “will exchange the experience of creating legal basis, hold joint meetings, consultations and negotiations, carry out information exchange and so on“.

The Parliaments of Abkhazia and Kabardino-Balkaria also support expansion of cultural ties and contacts between the republics.

05.17.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

Sukhum, Today Abkhazia marks the 65th anniversary of the First President of the republic Vladislav Ardzinba.

This morning hundreds of people came to Ardzinba’s tomb in his native village of Lower Eshera (Sukhum district) with flowers and wreaths. Flowers were laid by the President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh, the vice-president Alexander Ankuab, the Speaker of the Parliament Nugzar Ashuba, the Ambassador of Russia to Abkhazia Semyon Grigoriev, a parliamentary delegation of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, MPs, and members of the government, representatives of public organization, friends and family, schoolchildren.

Today at 3:00pm a photo-exhibition dedicated to Vladislav Ardzinba will open in the Central showroom. Tonight at 9:00pm “a Candle of memory of the First President of the Republic of Abkhazia” youth action will be held on Freedom Square in Sukhum.

The day before the State Commission on memorialization of the First President asked the President Sergey Bagapsh to institute the Order of V.G. Ardzinba; to name the Museum of Glory after V.G. Ardzinba; till the end of 2010 to announce a contest for the best project of a memorial complex in the village of Lower Eshera where Ardzinba is buried.

The commission also proposes to create a documentary dedicated to V. G. Ardzinba, to publish collected research works of V.G. Ardzinba, to establish scholarships for the best students of the faculties of history and philology of the Abkhaz State University at the rate of RUB 3000.

With a view to memorialize the First President of the country the Sukhum international airport will be named after Vladislav Ardzinba.

On April 22 the Sukhum City Council decided to rename one of the capital’s arterial streets – the Aiaaira Street into V.G. Ardzinba Street, and Prospekt Mira (Peace Avenue) into Prospekt Aiaaira (Victory Avenue).

On March 4, 2010 the First President Vladislav Ardzinba died of serious long illness at the Central clinical hospital in Moscow.

05.14.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 Co-chairmen of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia held consultations with Abkhaz party

Co-chairmen of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia Pierre Morel (EU), Antti Turunen (UN) and Bulat Nurgaliev (OSCE) have visited Abkhazia. On May 12 they held consultations with the Foreign Minister Maxim Gvindzhia and the President’s envoy to the negotiations Vyacheslav Chirikba.

“Abkhazia is ready to participate in the following eleventh round of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia scheduled for June 8”, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Maxim Ghunjia said. According to him, preliminary consultations with the co-chairmen of the discussions were held overnight. The issues connected with the Geneva process were discussed there.

“We have made proposals and remarks in relation to the documents approved at the international discussions, in particular, concerning terminology, etc.” Ghunjia said.

The Foreign Minister of Abkhazia said that the President’s envoy to the negotiations Vyacheslav Chirikba would head the delegation as before. As before, work during the discussions will be conducted in two panels – on security and humanitarian issues.

05.13.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 2 works in physics of  Abkhaz schoolgirls presented at the XIХ international exhibition of research projects in Istanbul

Istanbul, Two works in physics of schoolgirls from Abkhazia were presented at the XIХ international exhibition of research projects (MEF-EBAV) which was held in Istanbul from May 3 till May 7. According to the Minister of Education Indira Vardania who was in Turkey together with the schoolgirls, Abkhazia participates in this exhibition for the third year running.

An 11th grade schoolgirl from Bombora secondary school of the Gudauta district Madina Geria had written a work “Study of a laser beam passage through liquid”. A schoolgirl from #10 Sukhum school Nina Nachkebia had presented a research on “Change of temperature conditions in the water area of the Black sea (in the Sukhum bay)”.

The contest participants were given out certificates and prizes.

“We also had different meetings with representatives of the Abkhaz diaspora in Istanbul and Adapazari. The meeting participants were interested not only in the state of education in Abkhazia, but also social and economic development of the country as a whole”, the Minister said. Indira Vardania expressed gratitude to a representative of the Abkhaz diaspora in Istanbul Bülent Ayüdzba for assistance and support rendered to the Abkhaz delegation.

05.12.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 55.000  residents of Abkhazia fought at Great Patriotic War fronts

A grand meeting dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held today in the R. Gumba's Abkhaz State philharmonic society.
 

The meeting was attended by the Great Patriotic War veterans, representatives of Abkhazia's leadership, the Russian Embassy to the Republic of Abkhazia, the Border Guard Department of FSB of Russia, servicemen of the Ministry of Defense, public organizations.  
 

President Sergey Bagapsh delivered a welcoming speech. “The Victory Day – the May 9 remains an invariable, loved by all, valuable, sorrowful, but at the same time a joyous holiday”, he said.
 

According to the President, “this holiday has entered our hearts as a symbol of heroism and unprecedented courage of the people that has defended peace on earth”.
 

From year to year, Sergey Bagapsh said, “the historical significance of the soldier-liberator's feat becomes more and more majestic”.
 

“It is doubtful whether there is a family which was not affected by the most bloody war in the history of mankind. This is our history, history of a family, history of our country. On May 9 we bring our children to the Eternal Flame and we tell them about the day of the Great Victory, the day of the victory of nations of the world including ours over fascism”, Bagapsh said.
 

At that he reminded that more than 55.000 young men and women from Abkhazia went to battlefields with the enemy, 17.500 from them were lost.
 

“A small Abkhazia is the Motherland of 22 Heroes of the Soviet Union, three holders of the Order of Glory. More than 30 thousand people were awarded with military awards. Those awards are a gratitude of the state and the people for violent resistance to the enemy, for heroic protection of the common Fatherland! In centuries your feat will be a bright symbol of unbending courage and fortitude”, Bagapsh said addressing the Great Patriotic War veterans sitting in the auditorium.

05.10.2010  Official Site of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia

 Russian Coast Guards In Abkhazia Guarantee Order and Calm

Sukhum, Soon Russia will double the number of patrol ships, which are on guard off the Abkhazian coast. Russian coast guards started defending the territorial waters of the young republic last December. Both Abkhazia and Georgia, which is on the other side of the border, have reconciled themselves to the fact that Russian warships are patrolling the Black Sea.

For Russian coast guards only mock alarm signals are used. But in case of need, the high-speed patrol ships, “Sobol” and “Mangust”, which can reach a speed of 50 knots, need 20 minutes to overtake and detain a trespasser. True, till recently the coast guards never resorted to force. Today, they mainly check documents and licenses, which the fishing vessels show them – mainly, those of the Abkhazian ships. Not a single case has been registered over the past 6 months to confirm that a Georgian ship made its way into the territorial waters of the young republic, the commander of the patrol boat “Sobol” Alexei Barkalov says. "We are facing the task of protecting the national borders and also stopping and detaining any trespassing ships. We are equipped with a naval machine-gun mounting with a range of up to 2,000 metres.  It can hit air targets at a distance of 1.5 kilometres. The patrol ships arrived at their station last autumn, and their mission for the protection of the national borders of the Republic of Abkhazia began in the winter. So far we haven’t faced any provocations or serious problems. But our patrol ships are ready for action at any time. We are ready to repulse any type of attack after a command is given to that effect."

The Russian coast guards are staying in Abkhazian waters in compliance with the international agreement on joint border protection, which was signed by Russia and Abkhazia one year ago. They patrol one section of the Abkhaz-Georgian delimitation line running across the Black Sea – about 200 kilometres. As of today 4 high-speed Russian patrol boats are on a round-the-clock mission off the Abkhazian coast. Should their number be increased to 8, this will make it possible to widen the zone of permanent patrolling and raise the efficiency of the patrol ships. The time span to react to violations will then range from 5 to 10 minutes.      Abkhazian residents say that the presence of the Russian coast guards off the Black Sea coast guarantees order and calm in Abkhazia.

05.05.2010  The Voice of Russia