Russia's navy will track shipping in the Black Sea to defend the breakaway Abkhaz region from Georgia, Russian news agencies quoted Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying today from the rebel capital, AP reported. Lavrov's warning is a further indication that regional tensions following last year's five-day war between Moscow and Tbilisi are not fading, days after an EU-commissioned report said there was a serious threat of further conflict. "Georgian provocations in neutral waters towards the foreign ships which deliver cargo to Abkhazia, humanitarian, economic or any legal cargo are without doubt a serious concern," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Russia has already said it would detain any Georgian ship entering waters claimed by Abkhazia without permission, raising fears of naval skirmishes in the Black Sea. "We believe that it will be possible to regulate the tracking of cargo which will guarantee their defence from provocations," Lavrov said during a visit to Abkhazia's capital, Sukhumi, Interfax reported.
