国际英语新闻：Putin visits breakaway Abkhazia, confirms aid commitment

MOSCOW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday pledged that Russia would continue to provide financial assistance to Abkhazia, the breakaway Georgian region, as promised.

    Putin said during a meeting with Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh in Abkhazia that Russia's plans to render financial aid to the region remained unchanged despite difficulties created by the global economic crisis.

    "The funds agreed on for three years have been earmarked," Putin was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) and Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh talk as they meet in Sukhumi, August 12, 2009. Putin made a surprise visit to the breakaway region of Abkhazia on Wednesday, pledging half a billion dollars to strengthen the defences of the Moscow-backed rebel enclave.

    Under agreements signed earlier this year, Moscow pledged 2.36 billion rubles (68 million U.S. dollars) to Abkhazia and 2.8 billion rubles (81 million dollars) to South Ossetia to help balance their budgets and boost development.

    Putin's one-day visit to Abkhazia was the first by a high-level Russian delegation since Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia's other breakaway region, after a brief war with Georgia last August.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (C) visits a maternity hospital in Sukhumi, August 12, 2009.

In an interview with Abkhaz media ahead of his visit, Putin said Russia would spend 15-16 billion rubles (465 million dollars) in 2010 on strengthening Abkhazia's defenses.

    Putin said he could not rule out a repeat of last year's war as long as Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili remained in office.

    The prime minister's visit came days after the first anniversary of the Caucasus war. Tensions in the border areas between Georgia and the separatist regions have been heightened recently, triggering fears of a fresh conflict.

    Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Tbilisi's rule during a war in the 1990s that followed the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

    Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war last August, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia to retake the region that borders Russia. In response, Moscow sent in troops to drive Georgian forces out of the region.

    Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states two weeks after the conflict ended, but no country has followed suit except for Nicaragua.