MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax-AVN) - Units from the CIS collective peacekeeping contingent in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone will continue to patrol the Kodori Gorge, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said.
"Russian peacekeepers will continue to patrol the upper and lower parts of the Kodori Gorge at least once a week," Ivanov told the press in Moscow on Monday.
During a telephone conversation between the Russian and Georgian presidents on April 13, "Eduard Shevardnadze admitted part of the Kodori Gorge] had taken place," Ivanov said.
The Georgian leader "admitted that the Georgian side is not observing its commitments and promised to withdraw the troops from the Kodori Gorge, and we will control this again," he said.
The servicemen from the peacekeeping contingent, who were landed in the Kodori Gorge on April 12, established that about 150 servicemen from the Georgian armed forces and about 100 armed militiamen were in that region, the defense minister said. and descend to Sukhumi to carry out ground area reconnaissance, but this was not done for well-known reasons," Ivanov said.
"There will be no changes in the peacekeepers' mandate," he stressed.
"I personally believe there was no incident, and all the developments were well-predictable. Our peacekeepers just started implementing the protocol signed on April 2," Ivanov said.
He recalled that the document was signed by the Georgian and Abkhaz parties, as well as by representatives of the UN mission operating in the conflict zone and the peacekeepers' command.
"The document says that the Georgian troops will be withdrawn from the Kodori Gorge before April 10. It also says that on April 10 peacekeeping units in cooperation with UN observers are starting regular patrolling of the upper and lower parts of the Kodori Gorge, as well as the Tkvarcheli zone, at least once a week," the Russian minister said.
However "a fountain of emotions" emerged in Georgia as soon as peacekeepers landed in the Kodori Gorge, Ivanov said. "Now the Abkhaz party is making militant statements that are also based on emotions," he noted.
"A large-scale conflict may begin in the region if the Georgian party does not implement achieved agreements and undertaken obligations," Ivanov said.
In response to questions, the minister said that Abkhaz military units have "tanks and helicopters."
He said that if peacekeepers register several cases of non- implementation of obligations by Georgia, the issue will be submitted to the UN Security Council.