Breakaway region interested in joining Russian Federation – Abkhaz leader

Interfax news agency
18 Mar 05

MOSCOW

The president of Abkhazia [a Georgian republic], Sergey Bagapsh, has
said that the issue of Abkhazia’s possible associated membership in
the Russian Federation remains on the agenda.

“This is a topical issue. It remains on the agenda and we will conduct
a dialogue, including here, in the parliament (of Russia – Interfax),
so that the issue gets a follow-up. It will not be stopped,” Bagapsh
told journalists when answering a question from Interfax.

In the State Duma today Bagapsh met the Duma deputy chairman, Sergey
Baburin, of the Motherland faction.

He said at a news conference after the meeting that the present
leadership of Abkhazia was interested in the issue of association with
Russia raised by the previous leadership of the republic. Bagapsh also
told Interfax that the issue of establishing a body for coordinating
cooperation between self-proclaimed republics and autonomous areas,
including Abkhazia, [Moldova’s] Dniester region, [Georgia’s] South
Ossetia and [Azerbaijan’s] Nagornyy Karabakh, was “being considered
practically”.

Bagapsh said that the recent meeting of the leaders of South Ossetia,
the Dniester region and Abkhazia was “impromptu”. “There will be an
official meeting. We will discuss the state of affairs,” he added.

The present news on South Ossetia and the Dniester region is causing
concern, Bagapsh said. “This is about a possible deterioration of the
conflicts (between Tbilisi and Tskhinvali, and between Chisinau and
Tiraspol – Interfax) in the spring-summer period,” he said.

“If someone is quite keen to unleash another conflict, we will try to
prevent this happening, using diplomatic measures for the time
being. If not, we will provide comprehensive support in this area,”
Bagapsh said.

He said he was primarily referring to “areas” such as South Ossetia
and the Dniester region. But “Abkhazia is also a possibility”, he
added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress