Russia to Boost Troop Presence in Georgia
By VOA News
29 April 2008
Russia says it is deploying extra peacekeeping troops in two of Georgia's breakaway regions to offset what it calls aggressive moves by the Georgian military.
The Russian Defense Ministry Tuesday called its new deployment a response to a Georgian troop buildup near Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Russian peacekeepers already are based. Many locals in those parts of Georgia want closer ties with Russia.
Georgia's Interior Ministry says the latest Russian action is provocative and unacceptable.
Late Monday, Georgia announced an end to its World Trade Organization membership talks with Russia because of Moscow's troop deployment plans. The Georgian government says it will continue to block Russia's move to join the WTO until the troop-deployment plans are scrapped.
Russia is the only large global economy outside the Geneva-based WTO. Russia's entry into the trade grouping was blocked for much of 2007 by Poland in a bilateral dispute over meat imports.
Tensions between Georgia and Russia increased last week after the downing of a Georgian reconnaissance drone over Abkhazia. Georgian officials say a Russian jet downed the craft; Russia says Abkhazian forces shot it down. Moscow also contends that the drone's flight violated a cease-fire agreement on Abkhazia.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared themselves independent from Georgia in the early 1990s, sparking fighting and the dispatch of Russian peacekeepers to the area. Georgia says the peacekeepers side with the separatists, and it has pledged to restore central government control over both regions.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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