Russia and Georgia have simultaneously started large-scale military exercises amid growing tensions between the two countries, caused by Russia's support of the self-proclaimed states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,and Georgia's plans to enter the NATO bloc.
Russian Kavkaz-008 exercise is presented as a simulated counter-terrorist operation with tasks such as detecting, blocking and eliminating terrorist groups at altitudes over 2,500 meters. About 8,000 servicemen are taking part in the training and Russian command has also dispatched the elite Pskov Airborne Division to take part in the exercise. About 700 combat vehicles and more than 30 aircraft will be activated. The paratroopers will act together with the ground forces of the North Caucasus Military District, the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla, the border guard troops and the local Interior Ministry directorate. The servicemen will cooperate with peacekeeping forces stationed in the conflict zone and train to deliver humanitarian aid to the civilian population, the Russian Interior Ministry said in a release.
The Russian exercises will be held on the territory of 11 Russian regions, including Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachayevo-Circassia. The paratroopers will train near the Roksky and Mamison passes; the Roksky pass is the major link with the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.
However, Colonel Igor Konashenkov, an aide to the Russian Ground Forces Commander, told Russian reporters that the exercises were pre-planned and not connected with the latest events in the region, but admitted the training program was adjusted. "The main objective of the training is to estimate the ability of the military command to act jointly in the conditions of terrorist threat in South Russia. In connestion with the aggravation of the situation in the zones of Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts, the participation in special peacekeeping operations will be also exercised," the colonel was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency.
On the other side of the border, Georgia started exercises, dubbed Immediate Response-2008, with the United States military forces. According to the Georgian Defense Ministry spokesperson, Mindiya Arabuli, about 1,200 U.S. servicemen and 800 Georgians will train for three weeks at the Vaziani military base near the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Military officers from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine will also take part in the exercises, the Georgian Defense Ministry reported. Two U.S. Air Force helicopters will take part in the training, the Georgian side said. It also added that the exercises are being fully funded by the Pentagon.
Just like the Russian side, the Georgian officials said that the drills were planned months ago and are not related to recent tensions.
As the two countries launched their supposedly unconnected military training, German foreign minister started his trip to Georgia and Russia aimed to secure peace in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Thursday and on Friday he plans to go to Abkhazia, where he will meet local leaders, the AFP news agency reported.
The trip will then take him to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov before Steinmeier returns to Berlin Saturday.
"The goal of the trip is to find with all the affected parties... ways out of this spiral of constantly escalating incidents. It is about building trust and creating the specific conditions for a solution that will be acceptable for all," German Foreign Ministry spokesperson was quoted by the agency as saying.
German diplomatic sources said the trip would involve vetting specific initial steps with all sides to find a viable way forward.
The German minister called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier this week to discuss Abkhazia. Lavrov told him that Moscow wanted both "sides to accept obligations not to use force," and for Georgian troops to pull out of the strategic Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia, the Russian foreign ministry said.
By Kirill Bessonov
