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The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an urgent close-door meeting on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 to converse over Georgia’s claim of Russian military aggression in the breakaway region of Abkhazia and south Ossetia. The major cause of tensions between the two nations are the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and south Ossetia, which have been independently run since 1990s, from the time fighting with the Georgian troops ended. These regions are today an integral part of the internationally recognized Georgia.
The two regions have close ties with Moscow, which is creating more political and diplomatic problems between Russia and Georgia. Moscow recently lifted the 12 year old trade sanctions against Abkhazia and has even granted most of the residents of these region a Russian citizenship. Georgia claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin last week only ordered his government to increase cooperation with the separatist forces in Abkhazia and south Ossetia.
David Bakradze, Georgian Foreign Minister is believed to be going to be present at the UN Security Council meeting. Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin after the decision to have a UN Security Council meeting on Monday afternoon, remarked that Russia has no objections to have a meeting and the Russians will also have a host of things to say at the meeting. Georgia’s UN Ambassador, Irakli Alasania called on a UN military observer mission in Georgia to expand its monitoring capabilities, with emphasis on detecting any military activities on the disputed Russian-Georgian border.
