SUKHUMI. July 29 (Interfax-AVN) - The authorities of the self-proclaimed Abkhaz Republic are taking measures to establish control over "the country's territorial waters," Abkhaz Defense Minister Vyacheslav Eshba said on Tuesday.
"The Abkhaz Defense Ministry and border guard troops have launched a series of military operations to establish control over territorial waters in order to prevent limitations on access of vessels to Abkhaz ports imposed by Georgian authorities," Eshba told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Abkhazia has the potential required to accomplish the mission and effect technical upgrade of the Coast Guard Service," the minister stressed.
"The Coast Guard Service has been reassigned from the Abkhaz Security Service to the border guard troops, and an up-to-date sea surveillance and target detection system is being created on the coastal border section controlled by the republic. The equipment was imported and subsequently improved by our research centers taking into account peculiarities of missions," he said.
Eshba noted that "introduction of up-to-date control assets in the sea and on the shore is a forced measure that must be taken because the Georgian party has become more open in demonstrating its intention to impose a tougher blockage on Abkhazia from the sea and using force to prevent free access of vessels to Abkhaz ports and escort them for examination to the Georgian port of Poti."
He recalled that the naval forces of the Georgian State Border Guard Department have repeatedly intercepted the vessels heading for Abkhazia and forced them to go to Poti under the pretext of checking whether they carried armament, rebels, drugs or contraband.
The Georgian officials say that the examination of vessels heading for Abkhazia is necessary to prevent transit transportation of arms, durgs and contraband.
The Georgian Coast Guard Service was established in 1996. It consists of two divisions, one based in Adzhari, capital of the autonomous republic of Adzharia, and the other based in Poti. The service has a total of 35 patrol, guard and rescue vessels.
The Abkhaz Navy consists of three divisions based in Sukhumi, Pitsunda and Ochamchira. They are equipped with Grif patrol boats and a few leisure boats fitted with artillery systems. The Navy also includes three coastal artillery batteries.