Putin pledges aid to Georgian separatists

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By Ruslan Khashig ASSOCIATED PRESS

SUKHUMI, Georgia | Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the separatist Georgian region of Abkhazia on Wednesday, vowing to provide billions of dollars in economic and military aid and shrugging off Georgian protests.

Mr. Putin's visit coincided with the anniversary of the cease-fire in last year's war with Georgia, during which Russian troops and separatist forces ousted Georgian forces from the territory of Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian province, South Ossetia.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry strongly protested Mr. Putin's trip as "yet another attempt to destabilize the situation and escalate the tension in the Caucasus region."

After the war, Russia recognized both regions as independent, a move either denounced or ignored by almost all other countries. Mr. Putin said Wednesday that Russia wouldn't change its mind.

"The situation has changed radically, and there will be no return to the past," he said.

Mr. Putin urged Russian businesses to invest in Abkhazia and said that "those who are still waiting will come later and will simply pay more."

"Frankly speaking, Abkhazia doesn't need to be recognized by anyone but Russia," he said after talks with Abkhazia's separatist leaders.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry said the visit to Abkhazia by Mr. Putin, whom it described as "the main initiator and ideologist of the war" against Georgia, demonstrated that "Russia continues to defy the internationally recognized norms and principles of international law, its own international commitments and reputation as well as the norms of civilized conduct."

In recent weeks, both Russia and Georgia have trumpeted their competing versions of which side started the war.

Russia says it was responding to a Georgian assault on South Ossetia, whose residents mostly have Russian passports. Georgia says it was acting to repel invading Russian troops and accuses Russia of scheming to take over all of Georgia.

Mr. Putin dismissed suggestions that Russia's presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia reflected imperial ambitions.

"These are small republics, small countries, but there are many such examples in the world. There is nothing exclusive in this," he said in an interview with the Abkhazian media published Wednesday.

Mr. Putin compared the Georgian breakaways to San Marino and Monaco -- microstates with strong relationships with Italy and France, respectively.

He said Russia will spend $465 million to $495 million next year for Abkhazian military bases and border-control projects.