Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 6, 2004, Wednesday
VISA-FREE TERRITORY FOR THE RUSSIAN ARMY GROUP IN THE CAUCASUS
SOURCE: Krasnaya Zvezda, October 2, 2004, p. 3
by Oleg Gorupai
TBILISI PREVENTS NORMAL LIFE SUPPORT OF THE RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES
LOCATED ON THE TERRITORY OF GEORGIA
The authorities of Georgia do what they can to prevent normal life
support of the Russian military bases located on the territory of
this country.
For example, Foreign Ministry of Georgia is deliberately taking its
time to provide entry visas for servicemen assigned to the 12th
(Batumi) and 62nd (Akhalkalaki) military bases of the Russian Army
Group in the Caucasus. As of this June, over 400 servicemen
(conscripts, officers, and warrant officers) cannot reach their
destination in Armenia (the 102nd Military base). Some of the
conscripts have to be demobilized now.
The situation of whoever already been to Georgia and serves in the
Tbilisi, Batumi, or Akhalkalaki garrisons is somewhat better. Because
of unprecedented and unexplained delays with visas, many of them
cannot take a vacation in Russia and actually run the risk of being
jailed to violation of the visa regime.
Lieutenant General Alexander Studenikin (commander of the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus), his Chief-of-Staff Andrei Popov, Colonel
Ramazan Krimcheyev (of the department of organization and
mobilization who tackles visa problems), and Russian diplomats
regularly appeal to the Defense Ministry of Georgia, Foreign
Ministry, and presidential administration… with nothing to show for
it. Only a few servicemen were given the necessary documents
permitting them to cross the Russian-Georgian border – even though
finances are not a problem because the Army Group has a special
foundation to tackle these matters. Even though official Tbilisi
claimed for the entire world to hear that Russian military bases had
not been involved in the Adjarian events.
It is common knowledge that the term of presence of the Russian
military bases in Georgia is a subject of negotiations between
Georgia and Russia. According to the international norms and
standards, unless the matter is settled Georgia is not supposed to
create any barriers or make life harder for the bases or servicemen
assigned to them. Unfortunately, official Tbilisi is quite selective
when it comes down to international standards. In other words, it
does not always apply them to its relation with Russia.
Translated by A. Ignatkin