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Abkhazian Minister Gives Russia Control
Abkhazia is prepared to let Russian take it under military control in exchange for a guarantee of security, the unrecognized republic's foreign minister, Sergey Shamba, stated in an interview published Tuesday in Izvestia newspaper. “We are proposing the very broadest military cooperation with Russia,” Shamba said. “Those 200 kilometers, the distance between the Psoi and Inguri Rivers, is all of Abkhazia. We agree to Russia's taking the territory under military control. But in exchange we demand a guarantee of our security.”
Shamba considers Russia's recent initiatives in regard to Abkhazia “the beginning of the establishment of interstate relations between our countries.” Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to develop measures to provide aid to the population of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to cooperate with the de facto authorities of the unrecognized republics. Prior to that, Russia declared that it was withdrawing from the CIS agreement on sanctions against Abkhazia.
Shamba said that Abkhazia does not intend to become part of Russia. “There is no need for that yet,” he said. After the collapse of the USSR, Abkhazia, which was part of the Georgian SSR, declared its independence. In August 1992, Georgia sent troops into Abkhazia, where they were met with armed resistance. As a result, Georgia lost control over Abkhazia in an armed conflict that lasted until August 30, 1993. Abkhazia has been seeking recognition of its independence since then, but has yet to be recognized by any country. Georgia is offering it broad autonomy within that country.
Peace is maintained in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone by the CIS Collective for the Support of Peace, which is made up of Russian soldiers. Negotiations on a settlement of the conflict broke off in 2006.
www.kommersant.com
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