MOSCOW - The Russian State Duma has ratified a treaty with the Georgian breakaway republic of Abkhazia.
Last October, Russia proposed a military alliance with Abkhazia. The treaty was signed the following month by President Vladimir Putin and Abkhaz leader Raul Khajimba.
The agreement calls for military and defense ties between Moscow and Abkhazia to be strengthened through the creation of a joint Russian-Abkhaz defense force and for increased border control and internal law enforcement in Abkhazia. Within three years of the treaty taking effect, there will be a "gradual unification of standards" of command and control systems, logistics, and the salaries of Abkhaz troops with those of the Russian Armed Forces. Russia will fund the proposed measures.
Moscow plans to sign a similar treat with the other Georgian breakaway republic of South Ossetia.
According to the Georgian government, the agreement "has no legal force." Abkhazia declared its independence from Georgia in 2008; however, its independence is not recognized by the Georgian government. The only nations other than Russia to recognize the Abkhazia's independence are Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny island nations of Nauru, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu.
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