Russia's Putin vows better borders for Winter Olympics 26/11/2008 |
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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday border posts that will be used during the 2014 Winter Olympics should be upgraded.
Russia, which fought a war against Georgia in August, is preparing the Black Sea resort of Sochi for the games, just a few dozen kilometres from the Georgian border.
Russia will use materials from the Georgian rebel region of Abkhazia, which Russia recognises as independent, to build some of the Olympic infrastructure.
"Among the priorities is the upgrade and equipping of entry points which will be used for the preparation and holding of the Olympics in Sochi," Putin told a meeting of officials in the northern Russian city of St Petersburg.
"For these aims additional budget money will be allocated," Putin said. "Efforts should be concentrated on increasing the effectiveness of control procedures for people, cargos and transport flows."
Russia fought a war with U.S. ally Georgia in August after Tbilisi sent troops to re-take the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia, sparking an outcry in the West.
Russia later recognised both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the latter of which is only about 25 kilometres from Sochi, as independent states. They are heavily reliant on Russian aid and investment.
Georgia has asked the International Olympic Committee to moved the games from Sochi for security reasons.
With the majority of venues needing to be built from scratch there have also been concerns about the impact of the global financial crisis on preparations. Russia has pledged to spend $12 billion on developing the wider Sochi area for the Games.
Putin also called for better supervision of the Russian-Kazakh border.
(Source: Reuters)
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