TBILISI, April 30 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Russian military hardware and troops had already crossed the border into the breakaway republic of Abkhazia and called the move "an act of aggression."
Georgia urged the international community to intervene in the escalation in tensions, which have been building up between the two countries, since Russia's outgoing President Vladimir Putin called for closer ties between Moscow and Georgia's two breakaway regions and Tbilisi accused Russia of shooting down a drone last week.
"Russian armor, heavy artillery and additional military units have crossed the Georgian state border on the Psou River," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement and called on international organizations to "adopt adequate, decisive and timely measures to block Russia's armed aggression against Georgia."
Russia's Defense Ministry announced Tuesday it would expand its peacekeeping contingent in the separatist Black Sea province bordering on Russia and threatened to use force if Georgia employed "violent measures," saying Georgia had massed troops on Abkhazia's border in preparation for a military operation.
Russia's Foreign Ministry released a statement Wednesday defending the increase in peacekeepers as "aimed at ensuring the basic rights of Abkhazia and South Ossetia's residents."
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Georgia is looking to regain control over the two republics.
Georgia's ambassador to the OSCE told the Mze TV company Wednesday that the organization's HQ in Vienna would hold two sessions on the Abkhazia "drone incident" later in the day.
Russia has dismissed allegations that a Russian military fighter was involved in the downing of the plane.
The head of Georgian parliament's territorial integrity commission, Shota Malashkhiya, told journalists that he had proposed that the European Union consider replacing Russian peacekeepers with EU fast response forces in Abkhazia.
In response Abkhazia's parliament urged the international community to objectively assess Georgia's "aggressive" actions, and called on Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh to pull out of UN-backed Georgian-Abkhaz talks until Georgia fulfills its ceasefire commitments within the 1994 Moscow agreement.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili issued a joint statement on Wednesday condemning Russia's recent statements regarding Abkhazia and said that Ukraine was ready to consider taking part in peacekeeping operations in Georgia.
The statement said "Ukraine and Georgia condemn Russian representatives' latest statements on the possibility of Russia using military force in Abkhazia," also adding that, "Ukraine is ready to consider the issue of its participation in the peacekeeping operations [in Abkhazia and South Ossetia].
