Tbilisi Deploys Reserve Forces Battalion Near Tskhinvali

An official ceremony for the setting up of a training field for the reserve forces of the Georgian Defense Ministry was held in the village of Dzevera, in the Gori district in central Georgia, just 10 km away from the breakaway South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali on November 9.

Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze attended the ceremony. This is the third training field opened by the Defense Ministry for reservist battalions.

It is most likely that the opening of the training field near Tskhinvali will trigger protests from the South Ossetian side, as the village of Dzevera is located within the conflict zone, which covers the area within a 15-kilometer radius from the center of Tskhinvali. According to the 1992 ceasefire agreement, only peacekeeping forces may be deployed in the conflict zone.

Two previous training fields for the reserve forces were recently opened in Osiauri, in the Shida Kartli region of central Georgia and Sachkhere, in the Imereti region in western Georgia. Both of these regions border breakaway South Ossetia. There were 360 servicemen in each of these battalions. 
 
Earlier in October President Saakashvili said Georgia will train more than 10,000 reserve troops by the end of 2005.