The commander of Russia's ground forces, Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev, confirmed on March 20 that Russia is setting up military bases in the separatist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Georgia on August 10 announced a withdrawal from the disputed territory of South Ossetia, but Russia's bombing campaign against the South Caucasus country continued apace.
Georgian officials are weighing a response to an April 16 edict from the Kremlin, under which Russia can establish official cooperation with the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. While Tbilisi has termed the move an attempt at "annexation," some local analysts question the actual impact of Moscow's actions.
Georgia is seeking the support of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to alter the format for the South Ossetian peace process.
Georgia's State Minister for Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili outlined Tbilisi's proposed changes during talks on March 11 with OSCE Secretary-General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and other organization officials.
Trying to solve the protracted Soviet-era conflicts of Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and the Transdniester was among Belgium's top priorities when it assumed the rotating leadership of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2006.
Even as it contends with a continuing domestic protest in Tbilisi, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's administration remains fixated on efforts to promote Georgia's territorial re-integration.
As often in the conflict-ridden topic of conflict resolution in South Ossetia, much of the jousting comes in the form of commissions. Tbilisi held its first state commission to define South Ossetia's status on July 24.
Following the failure of its police operation in South Ossetia during the summer of 2004 and the strong international criticism it drew, the government of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has probed for other ways to peacefully regain control of the separatist region.
The South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, where the separatist government headed by de facto President Eduard Kokoiti is based, has been without drinking water for the past two weeks.
