THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

The standoff between Russia and Georgia has been years in the making. Here are some key events influencing the relationship recently:

July 11, 2008: Georgia threatens to shoot down Russian planes if they intrude on Georgian airspace again, after Russia confirms that four of its planes circled over South Ossetia.

April 3, 2008: Georgia fails to secure a roadmap to NATO membership at an alliance summit in Romania when NATO leaders delay a decision under Russian pressure.

March 18, 2008: Moscow agrees to restore air travel between Russia and Georgia. In October 2006, Russia banned flights, stopped mail service and cracked down on Georgian migrants after Georgia briefly detained four Russian military officers it accused of spying.

Nov. 15, 2007: Russia completes withdrawal of troops based in Georgia since the 1991 Soviet collapse, although several thousand remain as peacekeepers in the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and in Abkhazia, despite protests from the Georgian government.

Nov. 7, 2007: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili uses force to crack down on anti-government protesters. He also expels three Russian diplomats and accuses Moscow of fomenting the unrest. Russia responds by expelling three Georgian diplomats.

July 2006: Saakashvili passes up a Moscow summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, an alliance of former Soviet nations, after the Kremlin tells him that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not have time for a one-on-one meeting.

March 2006: Russia bans imports of Georgian wine, a major export, citing health concerns.

January 2006: A pipeline explosion in southern Russia leaves Georgia without natural gas supplies for a week during a harsh winter; Saakashvili blames Moscow. Russian officials deny involvement.