Stoltenberg condemns Russia’s plans to use Georgian occupied regions for its military bases

Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, on Tuesday said the bloc “strongly condemned” Russia’s plans to use Georgian occupied regions for setting up its military bases, following the claims by de facto authorities of Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia region that a Russian naval base could be stationed in its city of Ochamchire. 

 

“We strongly support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, and of course we do not agree that Russia can use separatist territories to set up military bases”,Stoltenberg said in Brussels, where he will attend the EU Defense Ministers’ Summit later on Tuesday. 

 

He further noted “Russia’s use of separatist territories to host military bases once again violates Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and shows how far Russia is willing to go to achieve its military goals in Ukraine”, and added “but also, in fact, they were put on the defensive, because the Ukrainians, in fact, succeeded in attacking military and naval facilities in Crimea, and therefore Russia is looking for alternatives”.