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On the eve of an unexpected visit this week from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Abkhazia, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the Security Council condemning the Georgian government for its actions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia a year ago. The letter called for "adequate ways to ensure stability in Transcaucasia" moving away from "idealized and bloc approaches" in dealing with the situation.

TRNS obtained a copy of the letter, signed by Igor N. Sheherbak, First Deputy Permanent Representative. The letter underscores the "inhuman" attacks committed by Georgian President, Mikhail Saakashvili's regime on the innocent civilians in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The letter described Georgia as "barbaric" in their aggression into the region last August and blamed the Georgian government for the break down of Security Council talks in June and for tensions between Russia and the European Union and OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)---groups that want peace in the region.

The letter stated:

"Attempts to carry on as if nothing had happened and to ignore the fully sovereign existence of independent South Ossetia and Abkhazia eventually led to the closure in these countries and Georgia of the international presences that had generally provided useful assistance to the peoples of the region. That was not our choice. Nor does the responsibility lie on Russia for the withdrawal of the international missions, however hard some people may try to present this."

The Georgian army was ousted from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, even though the country receives a good deal of political and economic support from the United States. Former President George W. Bush was reluctant to intervene in a conflict with the Russians but the administration officially backed the Georgian government.

A highly charged visit this week by Putin to Abkhazia (which Russia still regards as "independent" alongside South Ossetia) was met with harsh criticism from the Georgian Foreign Ministry, which labeled his trip a visit to an "occupied territory." Putin promised to pump in nearly 500 million dollars to build up Abkhazia and to prevent further attacks.

The European Union on Thursday criticized Vladimir Putin's visit to Abkhazia, saying that Putin did not have the prior consent of the Georgian authorities.

Russia plans to use some of the 500 million to build more military bases in the separatist Georgian region.

"Russia is showing and will show economic, political and if necessary military support to Abkhazia," Putin said in a news conference in Abkhazia on Wednesday, according to Russia news agencies. Putin also stated that Russia will work with Abkhazia in building a "modern border defense."

Russia already has several thousand troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and military bases in both regions. Putin has urged the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to recognize the former republics' independence.

Some international critics have compared Abhkazia to Taiwan. Currently, only Nicaragua and Hamas have formally recognized Russia's right to intervene in the region.

The United States has called for Georgia's sovereignty to be respected and is also concerned the massive build up in the area has shown the Russians are not willing to negotiate on this issue.

In June, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon sent deep regrets to the Security Council after talks broke down to keep a UN military presence in the region. The Russian Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Vitaly Churkin, voiced dissatisfaction with the mission's name (United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia) or UNOMIG. When the Security Council failed to reach an agreement, the UN mission pulled out of Abkhazia thus endangering the stability that the Secretary-General had hoped to achieve there.

With no military presence in the area, the UN has attempted to establish some sort of "hotline" to facilitate urgent contacts between parties and guarantee that security concerns are addressed. TRNS spoke with Brenden Varma from the UN Spokesperson's office and he added:

"It is not up to the UN to recognize states. It is up to states themselves to recognize other states. We would hope for a peaceful resolution between parties and to keep them engaged in dialogue."

The Russian Spokesperson for the UN Mission, Elena Badiyan reiterated Russia's position to TRNS this afternoon. She said the letter was sent this week to the Security Council because the Russian government wanted to "attract attention and to make clear what really happened a year ago."

She also added that the breakdown in talks was a result in June of the main obstacle--the name of the UN military mission. When prompted with the question about ongoing concerns that Putin's visit and the increased military and economic buildup in the region will lead to another conflict, Badiyan replied "There are no changes. Now is the dead season. Our position remains the same. We can't make everyone see the situation the way Russia does. Some people will misunderstand."