Free Republic

In 1995, former Iranian president Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani made a little-noticed trip to the neighboring country of Georgia. He spent several hours in Tbilisi, the capital, and then instead of returning to Iran, he made a secret side trip to the breakaway region of Adjara to visit President Aslan Abashidze. The purpose of the detour was not to visit the balmy, palm-treed tourist sea port resort of Batumi on the Black Sea. His purpose was more sinister. The Iranian president was looking for black market sources of chemicals to enrich uranium for building a nuclear bomb. He found a willing...

The US is negotiating with Georgia and Turkey to establish a naval base at one of the two key Georgian ports of Batumi or Poti, reports say. Turkey, in an attempt to avoid political tension with Russia, has not officially revealed its position regarding the plan, said Gruzya Online, a Russian-language internet site. Russia had previously announced its intention to station its own special forces at the Georgian ports. One of the responsibilities of US Special Forces in the region is to ensure the security of an oil pipeline passing through Georgia.

AUGUST 27, 2008 The US Coast Guard Cutter, Dallas, docked at Batumi and began unloading its humanitarian supplies, ending speculation that the ship might first go to the port of Poti where Russian soldiers were blocking entrance to the port, and where Russian vessels of the Black Sea fleet were patrolling. The Russians moved their six to eight vessels from a station in the vicinity of the Georgian port Poti into Abkhazian territorial waters, in possible anticipation that the US warships, USS McFaul and the USCGC Dallas might arrive, but also bolstered their fleet around the area. The Moscow,...

BATUMI, Georgia - A U.S. military ship carrying humanitarian aid docked at the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on Wednesday, avoiding the port of Poti, which is still controlled by Russian forces. The move came amid escalating tensions between Russia and Georgia's Western allies. Batumi, where the Coast Guard cutter Dallas docked, is well south of the zone of fighting in this month's war between Russia and Georgia. The United States and European nations have assailed Russia's recognition of two Georgian territories as separate nations Tuesday, and Moscow has also criticized the United States for bringing humanitarian aid into...

Tbilisi: The Georgian military police tried to seize the Russian military base near the Black Sea port of Batumi Friday night, the commander of the Russian Group of Forces in the Caucasus said Saturday. Major General Andrei Popov said 25 military policemen seized a number of facilities at the Gonio firing range, "which is jointly used by Russian and Georgian servicemen". Popov said Georgian Lieutenant Colonel Gocha Ninindze, who commanded the group, said he was fulfilling an order. The incident was settled after the Russian commanders and the Russian Embassy in Georgia discussed the situation with Georgian authorities, he said.