Abkhazia Appeals for World Recognition

Fri Mar 7 19:06:06 UTC 2008

Below is President Saakashvili full statement about Russia's decision  
to pull out from the 1996 CIS treaty:

"Russian officials at all levels have been warning us that they  
planned to respond to the United States and western [policy] towards  
Kosovo by [undertaking actions] in respect of Georgia, in respect of  
Abkhazia.

Hence, it is not simply an action undertaken against Georgia, but it  
is [Russia?s] demarche against the west in general and the North  
Atlantic alliance and the United States; this is what we have been  
directly told when we visited Moscow [in February]. In the light of  
our recent hopes and readiness to improve bilateral relations, such a  
development now is very regretful.

We should say the following: firstly, lifting sanctions off Abkhazia  
and before that distributing Russian passports to the residents of  
Abkhazia ? to those population who remain in Abkhazia and they  
constitute less than 20% of Abkhazia?s overall [pre-armed conflict]  
population, because over 80% of Abkhazia?s population has been  
expelled from there as a result of the 20th century?s one of the most  
brutal and forgotten ethnic cleansing ? is immoral and illegal action  
undertaken against the international law and humanity.

I want to tell each and every legal entity, or person in Russia, who  
think or are already investing in Abkhazia, or are engaged in any type  
of economic transaction in Abkhazia: these are assets, which belong to  
ethnic Georgians, ethnic Russians, ethnic Jews, ethnic Greeks, ethnic  
Ukrainians, ethnic Estonians; and I want to tell these people  
[refugees and internally displaced persons from Abkhazia] that I give  
them a word that they will be able to get these assets back. And I  
promise those in Russia who are willing to illegally purchase those  
assets, that these assets will be confiscated. This is a categorical  
warning of the Georgian President, who has a legal right to take this  
action.

The second and major issue: this action [pulling out from the 1996 CIS  
treaty] is extremely dangerous provocation aimed at destabilizing the  
region and entire Caucasus and at triggering totally uncontrolled  
developments. Georgia will spare nor efforts to prevent this type of  
scenario.

These sanctions, first and foremost, envisaged sanctions on importing  
military hardware, as well as sanctions on deployment of Russian, or  
foreign military instructors and military forces [in Abkhazia]. As a  
result [lifting these sanctions] Russia has actually took a course  
towards creating threat of militarization of this region.

Today I want to strictly state the position of the Georgian  
authorities: we are declaring policy of zero tolerance towards  
deployment of armed forces, military hardware, military instructors  
and mercenaries in Abkhazia. We are declaring policy of zero tolerance  
towards militarization of Abkhazia.

Russia and its authorities will be fully responsible for all the  
consequences of the launch and deepening of Abkhazia?s militarization.  
I want to reiterate that destabilization is not in the interests of  
Georgia and we are ready to openly work with the international  
community to prevent complications. But I think that turning Georgia?s  
one of the parts into hostage of the geopolitical games is  
uncalculated and dangerous step, first and foremost, for the  
initiators of this step. I think this is very wrong step, very immoral  
step and very provocative action.

I want to call for consolidation, calmness; I want to call for being  
organized and watchful.

The Georgian-Russian border lies on the Psou river [dividing Russia  
from Abkhazia] and we have never allowed anyone to cross that border  
illegally and to undertake any unilateral actions without the consent  
of the Georgian government. All those actions are against the Georgian  
legislature and the norms of international law.

I think we should continue working with our partners, with our  
friends, international community. We should continue our course  
towards integration to the North Atlantic alliance, towards preparing  
for NATO summit in Bucharest [this April]. It is not just a  
coincidence that these actions [by Russia] are undertaken just now  
ahead of the Bucharest summit. Georgia should not be derailed from its  
strategic course."

Quoting "Harold F. Schiffman" <haroldfs at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>:

> 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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