Only a few days before NATO's military training exercise in Georgia, Russia signed, on Thursday, joint border protection agreements with the former Georgian breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The agreements were signed in the Kremlin by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh and South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity. Under the agreements, Russia will guard and control the Abkhaz and South Ossetian borders, including maritime frontiers. The agreements give effective control of the Georgian borders with the breakaway republics to the Russian forces. So, it is very significant and important.
Of course, the signed agreements are the latest moves by Russia to strengthen and consolidate its growing military power in the South Caucasus in general, which is focused presently on Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
In fact, Russia has already set up land bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which was confirmed by the commander of Russia's ground forces, Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev, on March 20. He said that the so-called fourth and seventh military bases would be ready to host tactical exercises by the end of 2009.
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