GEORGIAN BASE DISPUTE HELPS STOKE NATO-RUSSIAN TENSION
Jean-Christophe Peuch
EurasiaNet, NY
June 18 2007
Georgian-Russian tension is helping to fuel a deterioration of Moscow’s
relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The two sides feuded over Russia’s continuing presence at a military
facility at Gudauta, located in the separatist territory of Abkhazia,
during an extraordinary conference involving the 30 state-parties to
the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. The June 12-15 meeting
in Vienna was convened ostensibly to discuss Russian grievances. The
Kremlin in recent months has agitated to alter the treaty, which was
modified in 1999, in order to enhance Russia’s strategic position
the European theater.
NATO member states were steadfast and united during the meeting in
rejecting Russia’s wish to renegotiate. In addition to the Gudauta
controversy, the two sides jousted over the ongoing presence of Russian
troops in Moldova’s separatist Transdniester region. Moscow reportedly
is seeking a deal under which it would fulfill its commitment to
withdraw troops from Georgia in return for the ability to maintain its
military presence in Moldova. NATO, Georgia and Moldova rejected this.
In addition, Russia during the Vienna gathering insisted that NATO
members ratify the 1999 modifications to the CFE pact. Those changes
contain provisions for the accession of states that are currently not
party to the pact, specifically the three Baltic states of Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania, which regained independence in 1991. Once
ratified by NATO states, Moscow would insist that the Baltic States
join the CFE compact. NATO members have withheld ratification of
the 1999 addendum, known as the Istanbul Commitments due to Moscow’s
refusal to comply with so-called flank provisions, which mandate that
Russian withdraw its forces from Georgia and Moldova.
The closed-door Vienna meeting ended with participants failing to
endorse a Russian-drafted final statement, thus leaving open the
question of whether Moscow would carry on with threats to freeze its
commitments under the landmark Cold War-era arms reduction treaty.
In agreeing to the 1999 modifications to the CFE treaty, Moscow
committed to withdrawing from four former Soviet bases on Georgian
territory. Russia claims to have vacated one of the four bases, known
as Gudauta, on October 26, 2001, 18 weeks behind schedule. Georgian
officials dispute this, insisting that Moscow is maintains a military
presence at the facility, which is located in the separatist territory
of Abkhazia. Earlier in 2001, Russia handed over the Vaziani military
airfield, outside Tbilisi, to the Georgian government of then-President
Eduard Shevardnadze.
Negotiations on Russia’s two remaining bases — located
respectively in Akhalkalaki, in the predominantly Armenian region of
Samtskhe-Javakheti, and in the Black Sea port of Batumi, the capital of
the autonomous region of Ajara — dragged on for nearly five years. On
May 31, 2005, both sides signed in Sochi a couple of agreements under
which Russia finally pledged to vacate the two military facilities
by the end of 2008. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
In a June 14 address to the Permanent Council of the OSCE, made
on the sidelines of the CFE Treaty Vienna conference, Georgian
Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili commended Russia for pulling out
"according to the agreed schedule." But he added that concerns linger
over Gudauta, which is the only former base located in territory
not directly controlled by Tbilisi. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
Moscow initially insisted on assigning the facility to its Abkhaz-based
peacekeeping forces, something the Georgians strongly opposed. Now,
Russian officials claim Gudauta is mostly a sanatorium for retired
army officers, and no longer hosts any combat military hardware.
Georgia dismisses Russia’s depiction, saying that, in violation of the
CFE pact, the base is still operational and represents a potential
security threat. In particular, officials in Tbilisi say they fear
Gudauta could be used by Abkhaz armed forces. "We know precisely how
many troops are there, what kind of ammunition is there. There are
both transport and combat helicopters on the ground," Bezhuashvili
told reporters following his address to the OSCE Permanent Council.
Moscow last year admitted that four helicopters and about 130 Russian
peacekeepers were located at the base. But it denied accusations
that it had installed a S-300 missile air defense system to protect
its airfield, which Tbilisi insists should be blown up. Georgia is
demanding that OSCE-led inspection teams be authorized to visit the
base to make an independent determination. Tbilisi also wants Russian
officials to hand over all base documentation to OSCE representatives.
Once Tbilisi makes sure Gudauta has been effectively dismantled,
Bezhuashvili said, "the Georgian case will be removed from the list
of issues that are preventing ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty."
Russia argues that an OSCE inspection team already visited the base
in July 2002 but could not officially document its closure because it
had no mandate to do so. Georgia says that the OSCE mission in 2002
had a mandate only to determine a framework for future inspections.
Georgia also insists that Russia is obliged to accept inspection
teams at Gudauta under the CFE Treaty. Moscow counters that the
Istanbul Commitments do not provide for international monitoring of
its withdrawal from the base.
Anatoly Antonov, the chief Russian negotiator at the Vienna talks,
said that "Moscow has met all those of the Istanbul commitments that
are related to the CFE Treaty" and that all remaining issues should
be negotiated through bilateral talks with Georgia, or Moldova.
Tbilisi, meanwhile, points to a 1999 joint Russian-Georgian statement,
saying it is an integral part of the Adapted CFE Treaty and is
therefore creating a multilateral — not bilateral — international
commitment.
In a bid to mollify the Russians, the United States suggested that
Gudauta be visited not by a formal inspection team, but by a "neutral
and objective" fact-finding mission. Addressing reporters at the
start of the Vienna conference, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried described the offer as
one of several "constructive ideas" that could help lift the Russian
objections and "that do not compromise our principled position."
Asked by EurasiaNet to comment on the US proposal, Army Gen. Vladimir
Nikishin — who represented the Russian Defense Ministry at the Vienna
talks, remained noncommittal. "We are not against such a mission
provided it brings necessary, useful and — most importantly —
fair results," Nikishin said.
Antonov in turn claimed no consensus exists among NATO countries on
what exactly constitutes the Istanbul Commitments. Therefore, he said,
prior to consenting to a Gudauta fact-finding mission, Russia wants
all sides to agree on "terms of reference that clearly specify under
which conditions the issue will be considered closed once and for all."
Neither side appears willing to compromise.
Reacting to Bezhuashvili’s address to the OSCE Permanent Council,
US Charge d’Affaires Kyle Scott insisted on the necessity of a
multinational observer visit to Gudauta. "We should stop talking
about it, we should do it," Scott said.
Another problem is that Georgia insists on being part of the Gudauta
observer mission. "We have a legitimate right to be part of the group,"
Bezhuashvili told reporters in Vienna. Sukhumi, which is still formally
at war with Tbilisi, has vetoed such a possibility.
Editor’s Note: Jean-Christophe Peuch is a Vienna-based freelance
correspondent, who specializes in Caucasus- and Central Asia-related
developments.