- Gudauta
Gudauta (Abkhaz: Гəдоуҭа, "Gwdowtha"; _ka. გუდაუთა; Russian: Гудаута) is a town in Georgia’s breakaway region
Abkhazia and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on theBlack Sea , 37 km northwest toSukhumi , the capital of Abkhazia.Gudauta used to be home to a
Soviet Air Force base, where the 171st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment flewSu-27 'Flankers' in the last years of theCold War . Gudauta was a center ofAbkhaz separatist resistance to Georgian government forces during theGeorgian-Abkhaz conflict in1992 –1993 .The Bombora Airfield outside Gudauta was home to a Soviet-era Airborne Forces unit, the
345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment , later redesignated the 50th military base and then the 10th Independent Peacekeeping Airborne Regiment. The unit was subordinated directly to the Russian General Staff (earlier it used to be under the HQ of the Russian Airborne Forces).In 1999, its equipment includes 142 AIFV/APC (among them - 62 BMD-1 and 11 BMD-2); and 11 self-propelled artillery systems 2S9 "Nona-S". [CIPDD, [http://www.cpirs.org.ge/Archive/AS_10_99.pdf The Army and Society in Georgia] , October 1999]The base has always been a significant factor in the Abkhaz conflict. The Georgian side and many Western independent observers claim the Gudauta base provided principal military support to Abkhaz rebels during the war in
1992 –1993 . In September1995 , Georgia had to legitimizeRussia n leases of three bases in the country and the Gudauta base among them.At a summit of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), inIstanbul in1999 , Russia agreed to shut down its base at Gudauta and to withdraw troops and equipment, pledging that henceforth it would be for the sole use of the CIS peacekeepers ("rehabilitation centre for peacekeeping troops”). However, Abkhaz authorities block OSCE inspection visits and no date is set for withdrawal from the base. Georgia still alleges that it is used to offer military support to the Abkhaz secessionists.The Gudauta base remains one of the main problems in complicated Russian-Georgian relations.
See also
*
Abkhazia
*List of cities in GeorgiaExternal links
*http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3261059.stm
* [http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/programs/globalpartnerships/securityandterrorism/coalition/regionalrelations/OtherPubs/Kakabadze.htm Kakabadze]
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