Russia is trying to seize more land, Georgia says
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
TBILISI, Aug 3 (AP): Georgia accused Russia Monday of trying to take more territory outside the breakaway province of South Ossetia as tensions rose before the first anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war last summer.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry said Russian troops entered the village of Kveshi near South Ossetia Sunday and erected posts marking a new border.
It said the Russian action followed South Ossetian separatists' statements about planning to seize control over swaths of land near the province.
"It's very alarming that as the first anniversary of the Russian aggression against Georgia comes close, Russia and its puppets are deliberately inciting tensions and behave defiantly," the ministry said in a statement.
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told the reporter the Russian border guards erected border posts several hundred meters (yards) away from the administrative border of South Ossetia.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov would not immediately comment on the situation.
Steve Bird, a spokesman for the European Union's observer mission in Georgia, said the monitors were following the situation closely. He said the Russian border guards told the EU mission they had no plan to move their checkpoint to the area marked by posts.
The situation near South Ossetia has become increasingly tense as the first anniversary of the war approached, with Georgia and Russia blaming each other for provocations and intentions to resume fighting.
South Ossetia's separatist authorities have accused Georgia of firing gunshots and mortar rounds near the provincial capital of Tskhinvali on two separate occasions last week. Georgian authorities dismissed the allegations and accused separatists of firing at Georgians. No one was hurt.
The Russian Defence Ministry warned Georgia Saturday that it "reserves the right to use all available forces and means to protect the citizens of South Ossetia and Russian servicemen" in case of further Georgian "provocations."
Georgia's Foreign Ministry said Russian troops entered the village of Kveshi near South Ossetia Sunday and erected posts marking a new border.
It said the Russian action followed South Ossetian separatists' statements about planning to seize control over swaths of land near the province.
"It's very alarming that as the first anniversary of the Russian aggression against Georgia comes close, Russia and its puppets are deliberately inciting tensions and behave defiantly," the ministry said in a statement.
Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told the reporter the Russian border guards erected border posts several hundred meters (yards) away from the administrative border of South Ossetia.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov would not immediately comment on the situation.
Steve Bird, a spokesman for the European Union's observer mission in Georgia, said the monitors were following the situation closely. He said the Russian border guards told the EU mission they had no plan to move their checkpoint to the area marked by posts.
The situation near South Ossetia has become increasingly tense as the first anniversary of the war approached, with Georgia and Russia blaming each other for provocations and intentions to resume fighting.
South Ossetia's separatist authorities have accused Georgia of firing gunshots and mortar rounds near the provincial capital of Tskhinvali on two separate occasions last week. Georgian authorities dismissed the allegations and accused separatists of firing at Georgians. No one was hurt.
The Russian Defence Ministry warned Georgia Saturday that it "reserves the right to use all available forces and means to protect the citizens of South Ossetia and Russian servicemen" in case of further Georgian "provocations."