[20030306]RS21319_格鲁吉亚潘基西峡谷：俄罗斯的担忧和美国的利益.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21319Updated March 6, 2003Georgias Pankisi Gorge: Russian Concerns and U.S. Interestsname redactedAnalyst in Russian and Eurasian AffairsForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryGeorgia has faced difficulty in asserting control over its Pankisi Gorge areabordering Russias breakaway Chechnya region. During 2002, Russia increasinglythreatened to intervene in the Gorge, claiming that Chechen rebels and internationalterrorists based there were making forays into Russia. U.S. interest in the Gorge wasspurred by evidence that terrorists there might have been linked to Al Qaeda, and theUnited States provided training and equipment to help Georgia reassert control over thearea. This report may be updated. Related products include CRS Issue Brief IB95024,Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; and CRS Report 97-727, Georgia Republic:Recent Developments and U.S. Interests.BackgroundIn late 1999, soon after sending troops intoChechnya, President Putin made the first ofrepeated demands that Georgia permit Russiantroops to pursue rebels escaping into Georgia, andthat it coop