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Georgia’s Defense Ministry put its troops on the border with its secessionist region of Abkhazia on combat alert because Russian special troops are amassing on the edge of the Kodori Gorge, a strategically important section of Abkhazia currently under Georgian control, Russian media reported July 21. Kodori Gorge is one of the pieces of a possible deal between Tbilisi and Moscow, but several peripheral players — mainly the Abkhaz and the Svan population in the Kodori region — would like to see negotiations fall apart. Meanwhile, as Georgia continues dragging out the talks with Russia, Moscow is keeping pressure on Tbilisi.
The Kodori Gorge is a rugged area bisecting the Georgian-Abkhaz border. Though it officially falls within the breakaway region, it is controlled by Georgia. Kodori is tough for any peacekeeping or military force to work in; U.N. peacekeeping forces in Georgia long ago abandoned patrols of the gorge because of the degree of violence there. The region is highly coveted; Abkhazia sees it as a buffer against Georgia, and Georgia sees it as a wedge that can be used to divide Abkhazia.
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