Abkhazia starts command and staff military exercises

(RIA Novosti) - Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia has launched command and staff military exercises to train for repelling an enemy attack, an Abkhaz military official said Monday. Abkhaz Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Zaitsev said the exercise would focus on countering an amphibious assault on the coast. He said the exercise, involving about 2,000 servicemen would continue until October 26.

The situation in the breakaway region remains volatile. A bloody conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia erupted in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was suspended by a ceasefire agreement that introduced peacekeeping troops from the former Soviet republics, including Russia, into the separatist area. On October 13, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Abkhazia, calling on Georgia to refrain from "provocative actions" in the region, and prolonging the mandate of Russian peacekeepers.