According to Javier Colomina, the special representative of the Secretary-General of NATO in the South Caucasus, if NATO is attacked from the military base announced by Russia in Ochamchire, the alliance will take action.
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‘‘Whenever we see investments from Russia to have a presence in areas that are in our vicinity, it is a matter of concern. As I said, the Black Sea today is already considered a region of strategic importance. Therefore, it is part of our military plans. And therefore, if we see the need, we will be capable and willing to take action if we are under attack or if we consider that it is threatening enough.’’ said Colomina in an interview with Georgia’s First Channel.
‘‘We have said not once that, unfortunately, Georgia is an occupied country and what happens beyond the occupation line is the responsibility of the force that exercises effective control on the ground. Accordingly, any action that takes place over the occupied land is beyond our control and we, unfortunately, have no leverage there,’’ said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili.
Defense Minister of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze also addressed the statement of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of NATO: ‘‘In general, we use all international mechanisms to protest against this. It does not matter from which direction the aggression against NATO will be expressed. of course, it is NATO's obligation to react. We are utilizing all international mechanisms to protest against all illegal actions.’’
On October 5, the de facto president of occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, said in an interview with the Russian publication Izvestia, that he and the Russian president signed an agreement, and in the near future, a permanent base of the Russian Navy will be stationed in the Ochamchire region.
‘‘All this is aimed at increasing the defense capabilities of both Russia and Abkhazia,’’ said Bzhania, ‘‘and such interaction will continue. Also, there are some things I can't talk about.’’
Currently, the Russian Black Sea Fleet is based in Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the said fleet was repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian forces. According to the Wall Street Journal, due to the Ukrainian attacks, Russia withdrew the bulk of the fleet from the base. According to Reuters, the plan to place a Russian base in Ochamchire may indicate that Russia is looking for an alternative to Sevastopol and is also trying to expand its military presence on the Black Sea coast near Turkey.
