Georgia’s foreign minister said he wants the US to make clear to Russia that steps toward recognition of two breakaway Georgian regions will have a price.
David Bakradze said that he would also seek to isolate Russia at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday. He also planned to meet yesterday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
He said he was seeking a strong US condemnation of a move last week by Russia to establish stronger ties with the two regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The US already has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to increase cooperation with authorities in the two regions. Rice expressed concern in a telephone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday.
However, it was unclear whether the Bush administration would step up its criticism at a time of rising tensions with Moscow over US missile defense plans in Europe and Western recognition of Kosovo’s independence. The US also is seeking greater cooperation from Moscow on issues including pressuring Iran to halt its nuclear program.
“What we expect is a very clear diplomatic line showing that this policy will not be accepted,” Bakradze said. “Russia needs to get a signal that this kind of action will have a high political price.”
The US is concerned that Russia is moving toward recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgian government control in early 1990s wars. The territories are not recognized by any country, but Moscow has granted the vast majority of the regions’ residents Russian citizenship.
Bakradze said senior Russian officials had made clear that Moscow’s steps were tied to recognition of Kosovo over Russian objections and NATO’s promise earlier this month that Georgia and Ukraine eventually could join the alliance. His account was backed by a senior State Department official, who said that Russian officials had conveyed that message in discussions with US and Georgian officials.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Bakradze said that Georgia fears Russia is seeking to provoke a conflict to gain control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Tensions flared on Monday when Georgia said a Russian fighter jet had shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane as it flew over Abkhazia. Bakradze said the spy plane was monitoring Abkhazian separatist troops that were moving toward the border between Abkhazia and Georgian territory controlled by the Tblisi government.
Georgia has released a video it says was taken by the spy plane showing the Russian jet launching a missile at the unmanned plane.
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