ABKHAZIA, S. OSSETIA PLAN TO APPLY TO JOIN POST-SOVIET ORGANIZATIONS

RIA Novosti
19:07 | 17/ 09/ 2008

MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti) – Abkhazia and South Ossetia plan
to apply for membership of the CIS, the Russia-Belarus Union State,
and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Abkhazian
leader said on Wednesday.

Russia has traditionally dominated all three of these post-Soviet
organizations.

"We will send membership applications to these structures, and we
hope they will be accepted," Sergei Bagapsh said at a joint news
conference with S. Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity in Moscow.

Kokoity said that he fully supported the statement of the Abkhazian
president.

"This is a logical step in the development of our states. We will
strengthen these relations with time," he said.

Russia signed friendship and cooperation treaties with the rebel
Georgian republics earlier on Wednesday, promising them military and
economic support.

Georgia served notice of its withdrawal from the CIS, an alliance
of former Soviet republics, on August 18, 2008, following a 5-day
war with Russia over S. Ossetia. Its withdrawal becomes effective on
August 17, 2009.

The CSTO is a security grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The Russia-Belarus Union State is a supranational entity consisting
of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. It was formed
in 1996 "with the intention of providing greater political, economic,
and social integration."

Moscow recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states
on August 26. Most residents of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have
had Russian citizenship for several years.

Russia pledged in the friendship and cooperation treaties to help
the two republics to protect their borders. The pacts also permit
Russia and South Ossetia, as well as Russia and Abkhazia, to set up
military bases on each other’s territories.

The treaties also formalized economic cooperation between Russia and
the republics, and cleared the way for dual citizenship for Russian,
Abkhazian and South Ossetian nationals. Russia agreed to unify its
transportation, energy, and communications infrastructure with the
two republics.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia have so far only been recognized by Russia
and Nicaragua. Belarus has pledged to follow suit in the near future,
and Venezuela has voiced support for Russia’s recognition of the
two republics.