OREANDA-NEWS. August 11, 2008. Question: The Ukrainian side considers that the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation cannot take part in the events surrounding Georgia.

Commentary: In the first place, we would like to recall that it was thanks to ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation that former leaders of Georgia stayed alive in the course of events during the Abkhaz-Georgian conflict.

As to the events of August 2008, we reaffirm that the Georgian leadership has taken a dangerous path of fanning the conflict in South Ossetia. This brings blood and pain to the civilian population of the region. The Russian Federation is not going to put up with this, and will do everything to save women, children and old people, all the citizens of Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and other foreigners who are in the region.

In this connection we are bewildered by the tone and content of the statement of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the sending of Russian Black Sea Fleet ships to patrol the sea spaces off the coast of Abkhazia.

The statement, in particular, voices concern that Ukraine might be drawn into the armed conflict. We believe that the Ukrainian side should have thought of this when it was supplying arms to the party that started this conflict.

In addition, we would like to note the following.

The Russian side acts in accordance with international law, in particular, with the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between the Russian Federation and Ukraine of 1997 and with the Agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Status and Terms of the Presence of the Black Sea Fleet on the Territory of Ukraine, primarily with the provisions of its articles 6 and 8. We would like to note that nothing in the said treaties empowers the Ukrainian side to determine the forms of conduct by the Russian fleet of its activities. The aim of the operation of Russian naval forces off the coast of Abkhazia is to provide conditions for protecting Russian citizens in the region, rendering support to the Russian peacekeeping contingent in case of an armed attack on it, and lending humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the conflict zone. Force will be used only in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter in order to exercise the inalienable right of the Russian side to self-defense.

Thus, the measures which the Ukrainian side is threatening to apply would not correspond to the aforesaid Russian-Ukrainian treaties and would be unfriendly towards the Russian Federation.