Russia concerned with Georgia's remilitarization: diplomat

MOSCOW, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia is troubled by the remilitarization of Georgia and intends to curb such moves, a Russian diplomat said Thursday.

"We are deeply concerned over the remilitarization activities of the Georgian leadership to which certain states display a calm and even positive attitude," said State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.

"We will continue inhibiting rearmament of the (Georgian President Mikhail) Saakashvili regime and are taking concrete measures for this," he said.

Also Thursday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden voiced American support for Georgia, saying "We stand with you," during a meeting with Saakashvili in the capital city of Tbilisi.

In an interview with the Washington Post published Wednesday, Saakashvili asked the U.S. to supply to his country advanced defensive weapons for resisting threats from Russia.

Georgian officials said earlier that their country hopes the U.S. can send peacekeepers to join observers supervising its borders with the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Georgia and Russia fought a five-day war last August, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia to retake the breakaway region that borders Russia. In response, Moscow sent in troops to drive Georgian forces out of the region.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states two weeks after the conflict ended.