Russia's decision to rearm Abkhaz army follows military strengthening of Georgia

The financial assistance offered by Russia to modernize the armed forces of Abkhazia does not threaten the sovereignty of the republic, but it is dictated by the Russia's desire to strengthen its positions in the region amid the NATO military activity in Georgia, experts explain.

The costs of modernizing the Abkhaz army will be small, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been told by Pavel Felgenhauer, an observer of the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta".

The decision to modernize the Abkhaz army is not related to the situation in the region, believes Arthur Ataev, an expert engaged in the Caucasian studies. According to him, the modernization will strengthen the military-political status of the republic and will be "a worthy response to the challenges from Georgia and its partners in NATO."

The Russian authorities are building a "single military space" that includes Russia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, believes Alexander Perendjiev, a military political analyst. He has noted that "the Abkhaz army is an army of an independent state, but to a certain degree it acts as a unit of the Russian army."

The decision to modernize the army of Abkhazia may be dictated by the risk of aggravation of the situation in the region, suggests the observer of the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta". "The situation in the Caucasus is potentially dangerous. The Karabakh conflict intensifies. Nearby are Iran, Turkey, and the Middle East region, which is a large hotbed of war, and local hostilities are underway there," Pavel Felgenhauer explained.