SUKHUMI. July 16 (Interfax) - Russian Ground Forces Commander Vladimir Chirkin, Abkhaz President Alexander Ankvab and Abkhaz Defense Minister Mirab Kishmaria discussed interaction between the Russian and Abkhaz Defense Ministries at a meeting in Sukhumi on Friday.
The three also discussed cooperation stipulated by a military cooperation agreement signed in Moscow on September 15, 2009, the Abkhaz presidential press service reported on Friday.
The Russian, South Ossetian, and Abkhaz defense ministers earlier concluded military cooperation agreements for 49 years, which can be automatically extended for five-year terms.
The agreements envision exchange of experience and coordination of steps to improve military security and control of airspace and the marine area.
The parties committed themselves to working together in the military reconnaissance field, on logistics and technological provision of the troops, meteorological, hydrological, and topographic support for military units.
Nikolai Donyushkin, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman for the Ground Forces, said earlier that Chirkin would inspect the 4th Russian Military Base in South Ossetia and the 7th Russian Military Base in Abkhazia from July 10 to 13.
"The commander will inspect combat training and the manning levels, the state of weapons, military hardware and material support," Donyushkin said.
He said Chirkin would visit the Tskhinvali, Java, Gudauta, and Sukhumi garrisons where Russian troops are stationed.
The inspection visit is taking place 20 years after Russian peacekeeping troops entered the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area. Russian peacekeepers intervened on July 14, 1992, after Georgian units approached Tskhinvali, which put an end to armed clashes between Georgian and Ossetian forces.