Georgia strongly condemns the April 30 border defense pacts signed between Russia and Georgia's two breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, citing a statement issued by the Georgian Foreign Ministry.
NATO and the Czech EU Presidency also voiced concerns over the agreements, regarding the documents as a breach of the previous ceasefire agreements reached between Russia and Georgia.
However, Russia insisted that it has never reached ceasefire agreements with Georgia.
The border defense agreements were signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Sergei Bagapsh and Eduard Kokoity on Thursday in Kremlin.
Under the agreements, the two regions will delegate their border guard duties to Russia until they establish their own border guard agencies, the Interfax news agency reported.
Russia will help train personnel and set up border guard agencies of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, said the Itar-Tass.
The documents are "another attempt of Russia to enlarge its military presence on the occupied Georgian lands, in the Abkhaz and Tskhinvali districts," the Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Georgia on Friday.
"By doing so, Russia opposes itself to the international community and violates fundamental principles and international laws, as well as the ceasefire agreement of Aug. 12, 2008, reached between Russia and Georgia with the mediation of French President Nicolas Sarkozy," said the statement.
Georgia launched an assault on South Ossetia last August. Russia responded with a counter-offensive involving tanks and troops, which quickly drove Georgian forces back after a five-day war.
On Aug. 12, 2008, Medvedev announced the end of military operations in South Ossetia, and agreed with Sarkozy on six principles for settlement of conflict in the region. Russia then recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on Aug.26.
NATO said on Thursday the border defense pacts were in a breach with earlier reached agreements and "not in the interests of long-term peace and security in the South Caucasus region," the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The Czech EU presidency also voiced deep concern over the signing of the pacts on Thursday, saying the documents are in contradiction with the ceasefire agreements between Russia and Georgia last year, according to the Czech news agency CTK.
However, on late Thursday the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in response as well, saying it was surprised by NATO's accusations, because "Russia has not signed any truce agreements with anyone in that region," the RIA Novosti quoted ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko as saying in the statement.
"The Medvedev-Sarkozy plan is the only agreement we abide by, and it is actually Georgia, which is violating it. Georgia does not want to withdraw its troops and armaments," the Interfax cited the statement as saying.
(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2009)
