MOSCOW: The leader of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia, has revealed that Moscow is in the process of establishing a naval base along the Black Sea coast, Al Jazeera reported.
Aslan Bzhania, the self-proclaimed president of Abkhazia, shared this information following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The permanent Russian Navy base is set to be located in the Ochamchira district. Russia officially recognised Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, as independent states back in 2008.
Aslan Bzhania said, “We have signed an agreement, and, in the near future, there will be a permanent base of the Russian Navy in the Ochamchira district. This is all aimed at increasing the level of defense capability of both Russia and Abkhazia, and this kind of interaction will continue”, Al Jazeera reported.
The prospect of a Russian naval base in Abkhazia has sparked memories of the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia. This conflict, lasting five days, involved Russian military forces entering South Ossetia, a breakaway region since 1991, and occupying approximately 20 per cent of Georgian territory, a situation that remains unresolved.
Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, declared independence in 1991 following the USSR’s dissolution. The connection between Russia and these breakaway regions has deep historical roots. The 2008 war over South Ossetia and Abkhazia led to Russia recognising their independence, with only a handful of countries, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria, following suit, according to Al Jazeera.
Since 2009, Russia has stationed troops in Abkhazia, and in 2014, Moscow and Abkhazia formalised their military alliance, shortly after the annexation of Crimea.
In August, Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian leader and head of the Security Council, cautioned that Russia could consider annexing Abkhazia and South Ossetia in response to Georgia’s potential NATO membership. He noted, “In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the idea of joining Russia is still popular. And it may well be implemented, if there are good reasons for it”, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)