Russian President Vladimer Putin signed into law ratification of the treaty on “alliance and strategic partnership” between Russia and breakaway Abkhazia, the Kremlin reported on February 4.

The treaty was signed by President Putin and Abkhaz leader Raul Khajimba in November. Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, ratified the treaty on January 23 and the upper house of the Parliament, the Federation Council, approved it on January 28.

The agreement sets following priorities of the “alliance and strategic partnership”: carrying out “coordinated” foreign policy; creation of “common defense and security space”, as well as of “common social and economic space”; assisting Abkhazia in social-economic development; “creation of conditions for Abkhazia’s full-fledged participation in integration projects on the post-Soviet space, implemented upon the initiative of or/and with assistance of the Russian Federation”, and “maintaining common cultural, spiritual and humanitarian space.”

Tbilisi condemns the treaty as “a step towards annexation” of Georgia’s breakaway region. 

Russia also plans to sign new treaty with Georgia’s another breakaway region of South Ossetia. The draft agreement on “alliance and integration” with South Ossetia envisages much deeper integration of the region with Russia than the one signed between Moscow and Sokhumi.