Relations between Russia and Georgia, which have been problematic for years over the issue of the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, hit new lows Wednesday when Tbilisi said it detained four senior Russian army officers and more than 10 alleged local agents on suspicion of spying.
The accusations brought a strident response from Moscow, with the Foreign Ministry branding the claims as unsubstantiated and demanding that the officers, who have been conducting routine work to ensure the withdrawal of military hardware and troops from two Soviet-era bases in Georgia, be released immediately.
Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in the zones of conflict between Tbilisi and the two breakaway regions since the early 1990s, and the military contingent has its headquarters in the Georgian capital.
"There is every reason for the UN Security Council to deal with this problem," Sergei Lavrov said. "Moreover, the Georgian leadership is taking new provocative steps in Abkhazia."
Lavrov said the UN Security Council is set to discuss a resolution on a Georgian-Abkhazian settlement soon, and that Moscow will insist the resolution mention Tbilisi's anti-Russian sentiments.
He pointed out that Georgia is deploying its military forces and administrative bodies in the Kodori Gorge, the de facto border with Abkhazia, in breach of international agreements backed by the UN Security Council.
The Kodori Gorge in northern Georgia, which is controlled by Abkhazia in its lower half and Tbilisi in its upper, has been at the center of renewed tensions between Tbilisi and Sukhumi since late July, when Georgia conducted what it called a police operation there to disarm a rebellious militia leader.
On Wednesday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili took part in an unveiling ceremony of the administrative center of the pro-Georgian so-called Abkhaz government in exile in the community of Chkhalta, in the Kodori Gorge, a move denounced by Sukhumi.
Sukhumi earlier said Abkhazia may quit peace talks with Tbilisi if Georgia does not withdraw its troops from the gorge.
Russia has insisted on the withdrawal of Georgian troops from Kodori, saying it is crucial for reviving talks with Abkhazia. The self-proclaimed republic said in September the operation had disrupted peace efforts being made since 1993, and suspended the talks.
"Conniving indifference to such maneuvers will lead to grave consequences," Lavrov said.
The 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.
Relations have been tense since West-leaning Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in Georgia on the back of the 2003 "rose revolution." Georgia has accused Russia of meddling in its internal affairs, particularly with regard to the two breakaway regions and energy supplies, while Russia slapped a ban on mineral water and wine coming from its southern neighbor over health concerns.
