MOSCOW, May 6 (Xinhua) --
Despite fierce opposition from Moscow, NATO began a month of military exercises
in Georgia on Wednesday.
Georgian and NATO-member country
soldiers listen to a lecture during joint NATO training activities, 30 km
(18.6 miles) outside Tbilisi, at the Vaziani military base May 6,
2009. (Xinhua Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The exercises, criticized by Russia as a
"provocation," overshadow relations between Russia and the transatlantic
military alliance, which have been on the mend as the two sides last week
resumed formal contact that had been frozen since the Caucasus war last year.
SOUTH OSSETIA CONFLICT
Georgia and Russia fought a five-day war in August,
when Georgia attacked breakaway South Ossetia to retake the region which borders
Russia. An angry Moscow sent in troops to drive out the Georgian forces.
Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another
Georgian breakaway region, as independent states two weeks after the conflict
ended.
Russia has long accused NATO of providing Georgia
with weapons and training its forces, while Georgia denounced Russia as an
occupier and demanded the withdrawal of its troops from South Ossetia and
Abkhazia.
But Georgia, which has been seeking NATO membership,
also felt dissatisfaction with the alliance for delaying its admission to the
Membership Action Plan, a key step for accession, and complained about getting
little support from NATO during the conflict with Russia.
NATO foreign ministers suspended the NATO-Russia
Council shortly after the conflict, and to beef up relations with Georgia, NATO
established the NATO-Georgia Commission and donated economic assistance for
reconstruction.
SPAT OVER WAR GAMES
The Georgian Defense Ministry said about 212 soldiers have arrived at the Vaziani military base to begin the exercises. An official opening ceremony will be held May 11.
A Georgian
(R) and Turkish serviceman interact during joint NATO training activities, 30 km
(18.6 miles) outside Tbilisi, at the Vaziani military base May 6,
2009. (Xinhua Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The exercises, being held about 20 km east of
Tbilisi, were originally scheduled to involve 1,300 soldiers from 19 NATO
members and partner nations. However, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova,
Serbia and Armenia have pulled out of the war games.
Russia has expressed strong objections to the
exercises. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused NATO of "muscle-flexing"
and called the decision to continue with the drills "wrong and dangerous."
Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's envoy to NATO, said the
alliance was aggravating tensions by conducting the drills at a time when
breakaway South Ossetia was to hold parliamentary elections. He urged the
alliance to cancel the exercises, warning that Russia would take responsive
measures if NATO did not review its plans.
NATO argued that the exercises were planned last year
before the conflict between Georgia and Russia. In a goodwill gesture, NATO
Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer invited Russia to observe the exercises.
The invitation, however, was flatly rejected by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov.
Russian military commentator Victor Litovkin said the
military exercises in Georgia pose no real threat to Russia, South Ossetia or
Abkhazia, but they do bear profound political significance.
The exercises indicate that NATO will continue to
support Georgia, to which the alliance has promised eventual membership,
Litovkin said. He said the exercises also sent Moscow the message that NATO had
no interest in its opinions.
The exercises have led to a new round of retaliation
between NATO and Russia.
NATO expelled two Russian diplomats from its Brussels
headquarters on April 29, the same day NATO and Russia resumed formal talks
after a freeze of eight months. The two diplomats were declared personae non
grata by NATO for alleged involvement in espionage.
Rogozin denied that the two were spying and said
Moscow's response to the expulsions "will be clear and tough."
In an apparent response to the exercises, Russia
signed border defense pacts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia on April 30. Three
days later, Russian guards started to protect the borders of the two regions.
Precisely when NATO began the military exercises on
Wednesday, Russia expelled two Canadian diplomats working at the alliance's
representative office in Moscow.
Moscow has also decided to postpone indefinitely the
Russia-NATO Council's ministerial meeting, which was initially scheduled for
May. It even threatened to stop its cooperation with NATO concerning Afghanistan
and anti-piracy efforts.
Western analysts said Russia's sharp reaction to the
exercises was totally understandable because south Caucasus is a flash point
where the interests of Russia and NATO intertwine.
The tensions between NATO and Russia may last for
awhile but analysts believe that Moscow will not take extreme measures because
the exercise is a small-scale issue compared to the broader benefits of better
ties with the West.
TBILISI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- NATO began military exercises
at Georgia's Vaziani military base, some 20 km east of the capital Tbilisi, on
Wednesday.
"The NATO military exercises code-named Cooperative
Lancer/Cooperative Longbow began on Wednesday, and an official opening ceremony
of the exercises will be held on May 11," a source with the Georgian Defense
Ministry was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency.
The month-long exercises, involving over a dozen NATO
members and partner countries, will be held in two stages. Full story
WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon on Tuesday
issued a cautious note on a foiled mutiny plot in Georgia, saying it appeared to
be an "isolated incident."
"It looks like a fairly isolated incident at this point,"
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said at the regular Pentagon press
briefing, adding the United States is "still assessing the situation." Full story
MOSCOW, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Armenia will not participate in
the NATO-led military exercises in Georgia, Russian news agencies reported on
Tuesday, citing the Armenian Defense Ministry.
"Due to the current situation, Armenian troops will not
take part in NATO's exercises in Georgia," the ministry was quoted by Itar-Tass
and RIA Novosti as saying in a statement. Full story
TBILISI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A former Georgian special
forces commander and a tank battalion commander were arrested Tuesday for
allegedly organizing an attempted mutiny that ended peacefully when most
participants surrendered, officials said.
Defense Minister David Sikharulidze said the mutiny had
been planned "on a broader scale" and was aimed at foiling planned NATO military
exercises scheduled to begin Wednesday in Georgia, a former Soviet republic in
the Caucasus. Full story
TBILISI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Several top Georgian Defense
Ministry officials were arrested on Tuesday for an attempted coup, which ended
without violence after most mutineers surrendered, officials said.
"It's over. Most of the people have surrendered," Interior
Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said. Full story
MOSCOW, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov has dropped plans to attend the May NATO-Russia meeting at the
ministerial level, news agencies reported on Tuesday citing a diplomatic source.
The decision is an apparent protest to the expulsion of
two Russian diplomats from the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Full story
HELSINKI, May 4 (Xinhua) -- NATO will not cancel the
military exercises in Georgia scheduled for May 6 to June 1, which has caused
Russia's strong opposition, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said
during his visit in Finland on Monday, according to Finnish media report.
On his farewell visit as NATO secretary general to
Finland, de Hoop Scheffer has praised Finland's role in the alliance's
peacekeeping operations after meeting with Finnish President Tarja Halonen. He
also said Finland was an important and reliable partner for NATO both
politically and for its participation in peacekeeping operations. Full story
MOSCOW, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Russian permanent
representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin confirmed on Thursday that two Russian
diplomats have been expelled by the alliance for alleged espionage, Russian news
agencies reported Thursday.
The two are the Russian mission's senior adviser and
political desk chief Viktor Kochukov and mission attache and executive secretary
Vasily Chizhov, the Interfax news agency quoted Rogozin as saying. Full story
BRUSSELS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Russian envoy to NATO,
Dmitry Rogozin, on Wednesday blasted NATO's planned military exercises in
Georgia, labelling them as "totally out of place."
Rogozin, who met formally for the first time in eight
months with ambassadors of NATO countries, said he was not convinced by NATO
allies' explanation that the exercises scheduled for May 6 to June 1 in Georgia
pose no threat to Russia's security. Full story
