Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – Czech republic
Sept 15 2005

Breakaway Regions Seek Closer Ties With Russia

14 September 2005 — Representatives of four regions that have broken
away from ex-Soviet republics reiterated their intention in Moscow
today to seek international recognition and closer ties with Russia.

A Russian lawmaker said it was about time the breakaway regions were
recognized as states.

Representatives of Georgia’s breakaway republics of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh disputed by Azerbaijan
and Armenia, and Moldova’s Transdniester region met in Moscow and
pledged to pursue independence.

Konstantin Zatulin, a lawmaker from the Kremlin-directed United
Russia party, called the sovereignty of these entities a reality that
should be accepted.