Abkhazia Appeals for World Recognition

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Abkhazia Appeals for World Recognition

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: March 7, 2008 Filed at 10:56 a.m. ET

SUKHUMI, Georgia (AP) -- The Russian-backed region of Abkhazia appealed to
the world community Friday to recognize it as independent from Georgia,
citing Kosovo as a precedent. In a unanimous resolution, Abkhazia's
legislature called on the world community and the Russian Parliament to
recognize it as an independent nation. ''The republic of Abkhazia has for
15 years successfully existed as an independent nation,'' the resolution
said, citing Kosovo's independence as justification for the timing.

The appeal follows a nearly identical resolution earlier this week by
another breakaway Georgian region, South Ossetia. Both South Ossetia and
Abkhazia have had de-facto independence since wars with Georgian forces in
the 1990s. No country recognizes their governments, though Russia has
tacitly supported their autonomy from Georgia, which has infuriated Moscow
by increasingly aligned itself with the West. Temur Yakobashvili,
Georgia's state minister for reintegration matters, said the Abkhazia
resolution should not be taken seriously because many ethnic Georgians
fled Abkhazia during the fighting and have long sought to return.

''This parliament is not legitimate; it was not elected by the population
of Abkhazia,'' he said. ''It cannot reflect the will of the entire
population.'' Russia further raised tensions with Georgia on Thursday by
fully restoring economic ties with Abkhazia. Russian officials said the
decision had nothing to do with Kosovo, although Moscow was infuriated by
Western recognition of Kosovo's independence and warned that it could fuel
other separatist movements, particularly in the former Soviet Union.

Nations that recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia say that
situation was unique. Georgia summoned Russia's ambassador Friday to
protest the decision to lift trade restrictions on Abkhazia. ''This move
cannot be seen as anything but a bald-faced attempt to infringe on the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia (and) as an encouragement
to separatism,'' the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

In comments likely to further exacerbate the tensions between Russia and
Georgia, Russia's regional development minister, Dmitry Kozak, said
Russian businesses and investors building for the 2014 Winter Games in
Sochi can look to Abkhazia for workers and materials. Abkhazia sits just a
few miles from Sochi.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Georgia-Breakaway-Region.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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