TBILISI. May 4 (Interfax) - The Georgian Foreign Ministry has asked the international community to respond to the massing of Russian forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"According to our information, which has been recently confirmed by Abkhaz separatist leader Sergei Bagapsh, up to 10,000 Russian servicemen and about 1,000 units of armor have amassed in the occupied territories of Abkhazia and so-called South Ossetia," Director of the Georgian Foreign Ministry's Political Department Zurab Kachkachishvili told a press briefing on Monday.

"This concentration of forces is a gross violation of international agreements, so the Georgian Foreign Ministry appeals for a reaction from the international community," he said.

The deployment of Russian servicemen in Abkhazia and South Ossetia is in progress in line with bilateral agreements recently signed between Russia and the two breakaway republics, which Russia recognizes as independent states. Approximately 3,200 servicemen will be deployed at each of Russia's military bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russian General Staff Chairman Nikolai Makarov said.

The bases "will protect the interests of these republics and us in the region," he said.

Also, border protection agreements signed by Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia on April 30 stipulate the establishment of a border department in the two republics. The department will be subordinated to Russia's border agency that operates in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.