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The Anti-Atlantic Alliance
Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakhashvili lashed out at the recent address of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to the leaders of Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And Tbilisi had solid grounds for agitation – implementation of Sukhumi proposals by Russia could be viewed as the first step en route of the economic integration of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In essence, it will be Moscow’s response to the NATO summit in Bucharest.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced sending the respective addresses to Abkhazia’s President Sergei Bagapsh and South Ossetia’s President Eduard Kokoity on April 3. People in the ministry, specified that it was the response to letters of the leaders of breakaway republics of Georgia, which manifested their apprehension about the political course of Tbilisi and its efforts to become the NATO member.
Putin said Russia was well-aware of Tbilisi’s course aimed at destabilizing the situation by using threats and force “with active appeal to the extra-regional states and organizations.” The implication is explicit – Putin evidently meant Georgia’s moves towards NATO and desire to replace Russia’s peacekeepers by international contingent. Moscow would back up Abkhazia and South Ossetia “not declaratively but in deed,” the president pledged.
Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili called this move of Moscow unreasonable, unacceptable and dangerous. Georgia was stripped off the choice – we are heading for NATO, Saakashvili vowed.
According to Abkhazia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba, they have already elaborated specific proposals that could follow the recent lifting of economic sanctions against Sukhumi. “These proposals cover a wide range of economic and legal issues that we could decide in the first instance.” The sources say the banking cooperation will be one of priorities. Sukhumi suggests opening a correspondent account of the National Bank of Abkhazia with the Sochi branch of the the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) and authorizing CBR to provide soft loans to Abkhazia’s bank.
Other proposals include settlement of all customs and tax issues, revival of traffic links between Russia and Abkhazia, including direct railway traffic and postal links, establishment of Russia’s diplomatic representative office in Abkhazia and so on. The RF Security Council will consider the proposals in the near term.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 07, 2008
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