NATO Secretary General denounces Russia’s naval base plan in occupied Abkhazia

On November 14, before meeting with the EU defence ministers for an informal breakfast NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Russia’s plan to establish a naval base in occupied Abkhazia and voiced support to Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The EU defence ministers are meeting today to discuss the EU support to Ukraine. Ministers are scheduled to exchange views on the Rapid Deployment Capacity and be informed about ongoing Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) engagements. Having an informal breakfast with the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and the European Defence Agency Steering Board is also on today’s agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council, Civil.ge reports.

In response to a question from a Rustavi2 TV reporter regarding the Russian naval base in Abkhazia, the NATO Secretary General emphasized, "We strongly support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, and of course, we don’t accept that these breakaway territories can be used by Russia to establish military bases.”

According to Stoltenberg, Russia’s decision once again violates Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and demonstrates “how far Russia is willing to go to achieve their military goals in Ukraine.” Stoltenberg said that Russians “have been pushed on the defensive because Ukrainians have actually been successful in attacking naval facilities in Crimea,” adding that “therefore, Russia is looking into alternatives.”