Abkhazian foreign ministry concerned regarding planned joint NATO drills in Georgia
SUKHUM. July 19 (Interfax) - The foreign ministry of Abkhazia has expressed concern over a large-scale NATO-Georgian exercise (Noble Partner 2017) due to be held in Georgia on July 30 - August 12.
"The gradual increase of the scale and intensity of the operational training of the Georgian armed forces poses a serious threat to peace and stability in the region and undermines the efforts of the current international formats aimed at settling existing conflicts," the ministry said in a statement in Sukhum on Wednesday.
The multinational Noble Partner 2017 exercise will begin in Georgia on July 30, the Georgian Defense Ministry said earlier.
In all, the exercise will involve 2,800 troops, according to the Abkhazian foreign ministry.
"Such exercises have been held in Georgia for several straight years now, with the numbers of troops and heavy armor involved rising substantially each year. Such statistics clearly attest to the rapid rise of Georgia's military potential, with the direct involvement of its American and European protectors," the Abkhazian ministry said.
Abkhazia sees such Georgian and NATO actions "as blatantly destructive and aimed at further escalation of tensions in the region," the ministry said.