NATO has expressed its concern over Russia’s plans to set up a Russian naval base in Abkhazia.
NATO’s spokesman James Apphaturai said on Wednesday after a working meeting of the Georgia-NATO commission that the alliance was analysing the situation carefully and with concern because such an action would violate Georgia’s territorial integrity.
All the 26 NATO member countries continue supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity. They regard Abkhazia and South Ossetia as parts of Georgia.
On January 26, the Russian Navy headquarters announced that this year Russia was planning to begin the construction of a base for the warships of the Black Sea Fleet in the Abkhazian port of Ochamchira.
“A decision in principle has been made to create a base for deploying the Black Sea fleet in Ochamchira. The details are being discussed with the Abkhazian side,” the Navy headquarters spokesman said.
He explained that the base in Ochamchira would be used to thwart an existing threat of subversive and terrorist acts by Georgian security services, which cannot be fully ruled out.
