As it became known from the speech of Georgian Defense Minister I. Garibashvili at the parliamentary hearings, in 2021 the Georgian military department plans to purchase a batch of reconnaissance and combat unmanned aerial vehicles. He added that Georgia has recently signed an agreement with Israel to upgrade and completely modernize Georgia's air defense system.
Once again, the Georgian government is actively building up its military capability, and is trying to justify its actions solely with the need to ensure security and stability in the region. However, it is extremely difficult to justify the plans to buy reconnaissance and combat UAVs solely on the grounds of self-defense.
In the light of the recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh, where unmanned aerial vehicles were actively used and through the use of which the Azerbaijani side succeeded in developing of an offensive operation, Georgia's plans to purchase such types of modern, high-precision weapons become particularly relevant. It is absolutely clear that those modern types of weapons can be used exclusively to solve the unresolved conflicts by force.
Such actions by the Georgian authorities clearly demonstrate Georgia's openly hostile attitude towards its immediate neighbors and completely devalue any declarative steps towards the peaceful settlement of the existing conflicts. There is also no doubt that the course towards the militarization of Georgia is being actively supported by official Washington, which acts as a strategic partner of Tbilisi.
We are deeply convinced that the intensification of the militarization process in Georgia is extremely dangerous and poses a direct threat to peace and stability. The Abkhaz side expresses its serious concern at such provocative actions by the Georgian authorities, which could give rise to a new round of tension in the conflict zone.
In view of the current situation, the Abkhaz side intends to demand from the representatives of the United States of America detailed explanations regarding the Georgian leadership's intention to build up its military potential and substantiated arguments regarding the plans for further use of such highly precise and extremely effective offensive weapons in our region.