SETTLING IN CAUCASUS
by Kira Latukhina

WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 29, 2008 Friday

PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV SIGNED A DECREE RECOGNIZING SOUTH OSSETIA
AND ABKHAZIA AS SOVEREIGN STATES; The Russian Federation recognizes
South Ossetia and Abkhazia as sovereign states.

The decree on the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia signed,
President Dmitry Medvedev urged foreign countries to follow suit. The
Kremlin has no information at this point on what countries are prepared
to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

With formal agreements not yet signed, it falls on the Russian Defense
Ministry to maintain peace in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Peacekeepers
will remain where they are, and the establishment of military bases
depends on whether or not the republics themselves want any on their
territories, presidential administration official said.

Konstantin Kosachev of the International Affairs Committee of the
Duma is convinced that Russian military bases will appear in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia before long.

Russian Representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, advised South Ossetia
and Abkhazia to emulate Kosovo and join international non-governmental
organizations and athletic federations.

Mikhail Margelov of the International Affairs Committee of the
Federation Council meanwhile points out that Kosovo should be among
the first to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
but realizes that Kosovo will never be permitted to do so.

Vadim Gustov, Chairman of the CIS Affairs Committee of the Federation
Council, counts on the recognition of sovereignty of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia by the countries that signed the agreement on peacekeeping
forces in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area in 2003 – Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

According to Duma deputy Arsen Fadzayev, residents of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia with Russian or Georgian passports will be entitled to
dual citizenship when these republics are recognized as sovereign
states, and that in its turn will necessitate amendments in the
acting legislation. The Russian citizenship legislation is not an
obstacle. Latvia issues its passports to residents of the Pytalovo
district of the Pskov region, Estonia to those of the Pechora district.