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Russia on Wednesday warned NATO against building up naval forces in the Black Sea as President Dmitry Medvedev confronted Western outrage over his recognition of two Georgian rebel regions as independent states.
As Medvedev prepared to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, a key ally, the Russian military criticised NATO's naval presence in the Black Sea, said by the West to be part of planned exercises and to deliver aid to Georgia.
Russia recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia as separate states and Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh celebrated aboard a Russian naval ship in the Abkhaz capital Sukhumi, downing a toast from a drinking horn with Russian officers.
Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Russian naval forces would monitor the NATO naval "buildup" and pointed to a 1936 convention limiting shipping levels in the Black Sea.
"Can NATO... indefinitely build up its forces and means there? It turns out it cannot," Nogovitsyn said.
Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, warned that any attack by the alliance on the Moscow-backed regions would "mean a declaration of war on Russia," in an interview with Russian newspaper Vremya Novostei.
NATO responded with a new diplomatic attack. Alliance ambassadors meeting in Brussel condemned the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and called for it to be reversed.
Russia had deployed naval ships to Abkhazia to "support peace and stability in Abkhazia and in the republic's territorial waters," news agencies quoted senior admiral Sergei Menyailo as saying.
The Russian ships were given a rapturous welcome by the Abkhaz leader, after local residents joyfully greeted Russia's recognition of independence.
On Wednesday the US Coast Guard cutter Dallas docked in Georgia carrying aid, one of three ships sent by Washington to deliver relief supplies after the five day war.
The destroyer USS McFaul arrived at Batumi on Sunday and Moscow has accused Washington of rearming Georgia under cover of supplying aid.
The Russian president defended his move to recognise the two Georgian regions that were backed by Moscow when they broke from Georgian control in the early 1990s.
In a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel he "gave an exhaustive explanation" on the crisis, a Kremlin statement said.
Medvedev was to hold talks with China's leader in Tajikistan ahead of a regional summit on Thursday that officials say could address the Georgia issue.
Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia has been roundly condemned by the West.
On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Russia was "outside international law" and warned Moscow could target other ex-Soviet neighbours, such as NATO aspirant Ukraine and Moldova.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited Ukraine on Wednesday after condemning Russia's actions.
Commentators say Ukraine could be vulnerable as Russia flexes its muscle, as Kiev's NATO aspirations are hampered by the presence of the main base of Russia's Black Sea fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
While few states are expected to follow Russia's lead and recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the short term, Medvedev's attendance at the summit of Central Asian nations in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, was expected to send a defiant signal.
The organisation was created in 1991 and is regarded as a counter-balance to Western influence in Central Asia.
Medvedev move to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia has been seen as cementing Russia's gains in the Caucasus.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili assailed the Russian move as an "attempt to wipe Georgia from the map."
In a newspaper interview, he said he would not attend an emergency EU summit on Monday to discuss the crisis because he feared Russia would close Georgian air space to prevent him returning home.
He said he wanted a "clear commitment from the EU that it will continue to stand by Georgia. And the same applies for our membership of NATO."
As the United States works out its response, President George W. Bush said Russia should reverse its "irresponsible decision" to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
Medvedev appeared unapologetic however, saying on Tuesday: "We're not afraid of anything."
He told French television that "we will do everything we can to avoid" a new Cold War, but added: "If they (Europe) want relations to worsen, they will get it."
The stand-off has part of its roots in the dispute over Kosovo, whose aspirations for independence from Serbia were supported militarily and diplomatically by the West.
Tensions have mounted since Russian forces entered Georgia on August 8 to thwart a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia.
France brokered a ceasefire but the US and other Western nations accused Russia of keeping tanks and troops in Georgia.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Medvedev
AFP
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