The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia expresses serious concern about the active increase of cooperation between Georgia and the US-led NATO bloc

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia.

Sukhum. November 14. Apsnypress. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia issued a statement in connection with publications in the media about reaching an agreement between Georgia and the United States on the construction of a military airfield under NATO auspices in Vaziani. The agreement was reached during the talks between Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria and the head of the transport command of the US armed forces, General Stephen Lyons.
 
 “The implementation of this joint initiative of Georgia and the United States clearly shows that military cooperation between Georgia and the NATO bloc, which has been rapidly gaining momentum in recent years, is moving to a qualitatively new level.
  
 The planned modernization of the military airfield, which will be able to receive large US military transport aircraft, will turn it into a powerful NATO logistics center in the South Caucasus.
  
 Official reports that the center of defense readiness in Vaziani will be used exclusively for the transfer of military units to joint exercises of Georgia and the NATO countries should not be misleading. Such infrastructure may well be involved in the case of a targeted attempt to military escalation in the region.
  
 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia expresses serious concern about the active build-up of cooperation between Georgia and the US-led NATO bloc. We draw attention to the fact that the full-scale militarization of Georgia carried out by Washington creates a potential hotbed of tension in the South Caucasus and may finally undermine efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.
  
 Against the background of the active rapprochement of Georgia with NATO, various kinds of “peace initiatives” proposed for “residents of Abkhazia”, such as the “Step to a better future” and others, look cynical. Presenting its peace initiatives at various international platforms, Tbilisi with support of its Western friends feverishly builds up its military potential. All this is combined with the course of international isolation of the Republic of Abkhazia pursued by Georgia.
  
 The Abkhaz side calls on international mediators to pay close attention to the process of militarization of Georgia and give it an appropriate assessment. The Republic of Abkhazia while continuing to develop military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation, is ready to take adequate measures for Tbilisi’s adventurous actions,” - the statement reads.