Russia’s “Neighbourhood Policy”: the case of Abkhazia

On 24 November 2014 in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin and Raul Khajimba, the leader of Abkhazia, signed a Russian-Abkhazian treaty on alliance and strategic partnership, despite Abkhazia not being recognised as a state by the international community. Under this treaty, Abkhazia, which still retains a semblance of independence, will be integrated with the Russian Federation in the areas of: defence, border control, customs policy, social policy and law and order. During the ceremony marking the signing of the treaty, President Putin also promised that US$200 million of aid would be granted to Abkhazia in 2015. This treaty will be used as an instrument to place pressure on Georgia in order to provoke a crisis in the country and disrupt or reverse Tbilisi’s pro-Western orientation and, in the longer term, to subordinate Georgia to Moscow in geopolitical terms. This also fits in with Russia’s policy in the entire post-Soviet area, where its intention is to subordinate and then manage selected areas. This policy involves the use of flexible methods which break the rules of international law (for example, those concerning the inviolability of state borders or non-interference with domestic affairs) and creating various models of integration which equate to Russian control.