Moscow and Tbilisi, whose relations have been tense in the last few years, have become embroiled in a new dispute after Georgia arrested six Russian servicemen in the country Wednesday on suspicion of espionage.
And Sergei Ivanov, who is also a deputy prime minister, appeared to open a new front in the increasingly acrimonious spat when he told journalists, "Certain NATO member states... are supplying Georgia with armaments that were earlier delivered to these countries by the Soviet Union with a ban on re-export."
Former members of the communist-bloc in Europe, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia became member countries of NATO in 2004.
Ivanov, who will take part in a session of the Russia-NATO Council Friday, said conventional weapons laws were being violated. "This is piracy," he said.
The deputy prime minister also said he would draw NATO's attention once again to "Georgia's inadequate actions against Russian servicemen." He said that in line with earlier reached agreements, Russian servicemen would leave the country no earlier than in 2008.
Six Russian soldiers and officers have been detained over the last 24 hours. Ivanov said earlier Thursday that seven other Russian servicemen - a junior officer and six soldiers - had been subjected to violence when their car was stopped in the western city of Batumi on Wednesday night.
