GEORGIA’S BORDERS GRADUALLY PASS UNDER NATIONAL CONTROL.

On July 10, Georgia’s coastal guard began patrolling the country’s economic zone off the Abkhaz coast. The move signifies incremental progress toward asserting control of Georgia’s maritime borders. The coastal guard will, for the time being, not enter what the Abkhaz authorities term their “territorial waters” within twelve miles of the coast. Even so, the Georgian coastal guard will be in a position to control the maritime traffic to and from Abkhazia.

Attending the ceremony in Poti–the base of Georgia’s nascent fleet–President Eduard Shevardnadze expressed appreciation to Turkey, Germany, Ukraine “and particularly to the United States” for their assistance to Georgia’s land and maritime border forces. Shevardnadze noted that the United States alone has allocated US$17 million annually in 1998 and 1999 for that purpose. The president also underscored the other countries’ donations of ships and funding of training programs. He also thanked Russia for agreeing to hand over to Georgia the control over several border sectors.

On July 9 in Ajaria, Georgian border troops took over from Russian troops a key sector of the border with Turkey. The handover is now approaching completion without incident, despite that autonomous republic leader Aslan Abashidze’s defiance of Tbilisi on other issues (see item below; and background in the Monitor, July 1). Under the Russian-Georgian agreement of November 1998, Russian border troops are turning over their immobile assets to the Georgian side and sharing the mobile assets–including weaponry–on a 50-50 basis. The repatriation of Russian troops is due to be completed by August and appears to be proceeding on schedule (Radio Tbilisi, July 9-10, 12).

GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES FORM BROAD-BASED ELECTORAL BLOC.