Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

[Armanen]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Old news Federate.

Later on Israel stated they won't supply arms to Abkhazia.

Yep, but the relationship between official tel aviv and tiflis is not as rosy as it once was. Last month 2 jooish businessmen were arrested in tiflis and accused of bribing government workers to push thru a deal.

[Federate]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

NKR government needs to send condolences to Abkhazia and President Bako Sahakyan attempt to attend his funeral.

[Federate]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

President of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh died this morning on the operating table in Moscow. He was in his early 60s.

[hipeter924]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

[Federate]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Old news Federate.

Later on Israel stated they won't supply arms to Abkhazia.

Thanks for the heads up, just saw some articles where they deny it. I wonder though how can such rumours appear? When I read it, I was thinking that this might be part of a big package deal between Russia and Israel where Russia canceled the S-300 sale to Iran in return for Israeli military favours.
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Tbilisi denies military cooperation between Israel and the de facto Abkhazia
By Mzia Kupunia
Tuesday, April 19
[Nino Kalandadze]
Israel and the de facto Abkhazian government will never have any kind of military cooperation, the Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister, Nino Kalandadze said Monday, commenting on last week’s visit of Israeli holding Global CST to Georgia’s breakaway region. The Georgian Foreign Ministry “immediately reacted upon” this issue and asked the Israeli Ambassador to Georgia for “detailed information”, according to Kalandadze. “The Ambassador confirms, that there will be no military cooperation between Israel and the de facto Abkhazian government.

Military cooperation is not only part of a private activity. It is a licensed activity, which needs a relevant permission from the Israeli Defence Ministry. And this kind of permission will not be given out and there will be no military cooperation,” the Deputy Minister stated.

Israeli holding Global CST expressed its readiness to supply Abkhazia with non-assault military techniques, according to internet portal Izrus.co.il. According to the site, the de facto Abkhazian President Sergey Bagapsh met the managers of the Israeli holding in Moscow, following his unofficial visit to Turkey. Izrus.co.il wrote that the meeting between the de facto President and the representatives of Global CST was “officially agreed with Jerusalem.”

According to Israeli media, the meeting was attended by former head of the Operative management of Israeli Defence Forces, Israel Ziv and former military secretary of Israeli Prime Minister, Meir Klifi.

“The Israeli side realizes the importance of strategic dialogue with Russia and Abkhazia and supports developing these relations,” Israel Ziv was quoted as saying. Citing an anonymous source, Izrus.co.il reported that Ziv expressed readiness to supply Georgia’s breakaway region with non-assault military techniques.

After the meeting with Baghapsh, the Israeli delegation, 7 representatives of Global CST left for Georgia’s breakaway region to meet the de facto authorities there. Israel Ziv headed the delegation, Apsnypress news agency reported. On April 14 the representatives of Global CST met the de facto Prime Minister of Abkhazia, Sergey Shamba and the de facto Defence Minister Merab Kishmaria.

Israeli Ambassador to Georgia, Itzhak Gerberg immediately commented on Izrus.co.il’s reports, saying that Israel’s official position on Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region are “clear.” “We do not recognize them as independent states and we are not going to sell them any kind of arms. It is possible that some private businessmen visited Abkhazia, but they cannot speak under the name of the [Israeli] Government. I reiterate, we are not going to sell arms to them,” information agency Interpressnews quoted Ambassador Gerberg as saying.

Information about an alleged meeting between the de facto Abkhazian President and the Israeli holding representatives was preceded by Israeli defense Electronics Company Elbit Systems announcement that it has sued the Georgian Government at the UK High Court of Justice for an amount of about USD 100 million. According to the press release of the Company, released earlier last week, the lawsuit was filed as a result of the Georgian government’s failure to pay amounts due to the Company in connection with deliverable items under several contracts signed in 2007. The Israeli company claims that the Georgian side has not paid for unmanned drones Hermes 450. According to Israeli media, the company has provided the Georgians side with about 40 unmanned aircraft systems. Israel stopped selling arms to Georgia following the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008, Israeli media reports.

However, on Monday Tbilisi denied having any unpaid debts to the Israeli company. Deputy Foreign Minister, Nino Kalandadze said the Georgian Defence Ministry “has no debts”, adding that the Defence Ministry has not violated any contract points with Elbit Systems. “The Georgian side not only has no debts, but there are many military companies around the world which owe Georgia,” she noted.

http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/2341_april_19_2011/2341_mzia.html

[ZORAVAR]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Old news Federate.

Later on Israel stated they won't supply arms to Abkhazia.

[Mos]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Wow Israel changes sides quickly.

[Federate]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Israeli Weapons to Be Part of Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict?

Israel may soon have another Caucasus client for its weaponry -- the breakaway region of Abkhazia.

Abkhazia’s de facto official news agency Apsny Press reported on April 14 that separatist leader Sergei Bagapsh has struck a deal in Moscow with Israeli company Global CST to supply unspecified defense technologies to Abkhazia. Former defense officials participated in the negotiations, which, the agency claims, had the Israeli government's blessing. A delegation of ex-officials and representatives of the company are Sokhumi-bound this week, the agency reported.

The news came amidst a reported cooling-off in Georgian-Israeli ties. Another Israeli contractor is suing Georgia for allegedly failing to pay for military equipment purchases. A Georgian court's recent conviction of two Israeli businessmen on bribery charges has added further tensions to the backdrop.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63293

[Joseph]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Generally speaking, the US is still heavily pro-Georgian but is not keen on re-arming them beyond some token material. The US does not want to further encourage Saakashvili; he is a loose cannon and has already embarrassed US, EU, NATO. The Russians are keeping a very close eye on the situation, are totally dialed in, and will have record of US armaments entering Georgia

SAAKASHVILI: 'WE NEED ANTI-AIR, ANTI-TANK ARMS FROM U.S.'

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23294

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 31 Mar.'11 / 10:53

Some sales of small arms from the United States to Georgia are "in the
pipeline", but Georgia needs heavier weapons, President Saakashvili
told "The Cable" - a blog of The Foreign Policy magazine, during his
recent visit to the U.S.

"We don't' really need small arms, we have plenty of them and actually
there are many alternative sources to shop for them," he was quoted
in an article posted on The Cable on March 30. "What Georgia really
needs is something that it cannot get from anywhere else and that's
anti-air and anti-tank [weapons] and that's completely obvious
... that's where should be the next stage of the cooperation."

In September, 2010 U.S. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, said
Washington had been "careful" in providing military assistance to
Georgia. He, however, also said "every sovereign country has the
right to provide for its own defense."

In June, 2010 Philip Gordon, the assistant secretary of state for
European and Eurasian affairs, rejected that the U.S. had arms
embargo on Georgia. He, however, said that Washington's focus after
the August war was on "reducing tensions" and trying to get Russian
to follow its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and to respect
Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We don't think that arms sales and military equipment is the path
to the situation in Georgia that we're trying to get to," Gordon said.

[Mos]

Re: Georgian-South Ossetian conflict

Saakashvilli is the worst thing georgia has seen as far as president can be, is it possible that a more nuttier person comes to office? I doubt it. If Georgia gets it's own saddam hussien then you can be sure, this country wont last long Imagine if there's another war, and javakh goes de facto, and the neighbooring azeri territory is seized by azeris, while adjara goes its own way, what will be left of georgia?

If Saakashvili seeks a third term (I read that he was trying to make that possible) than there will be another nasty civil war. If Saakashvili's party wins the elections, maybe not civil war but it will get close to it, Georgia people are mostly sick of Saakashvili, it's not 2003 anymore...