He said new intergovernmental agreements on military and military-technical cooperation between Russia and the two republics are in the works.

Under mutual assistance treaties signed last November, Russia pledged to help Abkhazia and South Ossetia protect their borders, and the signatories granted each other the right to set up military bases in their respective territories.

Russian military bases are expected to be located in Abkhazia's Gudauta and in Tskhinvali of South Ossetia. Each base will most likely host up to 1,700 servicemen, T-62 tanks, light armored vehicles, S-300 air defence systems and various aircraft.

Russia earlier said it would allocate 15-16 billion rubles (over $465 million) in 2010 to boost security along Abkhazian borders.