RUSSIA SAYS EU PRESSURES BELARUS OVER S.OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA

RIA Novosti
14:02 | 06/ 03/ 2009

MOSCOW, March 6 (RIA Novosti) – A senior Russian diplomat has accused
the EU of exerting pressure on Belarus not to recognize the former
Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the
EU’s rotating presidency, said in late February that Belarus would
create "a very difficult situation" if it were to recognize Abkhazia
and South Ossetia as independent states. His comments came on the
same day that the European Union announced the inclusion of Belarus
in its Eastern Partnership (EaP) program.

EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy
Benita-Ferrero Waldner also said that the possible recognition of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Minsk could hamper its ties with the EU.

"Schwarzenberg’s statement should be regarded as severe public
pressure from the EU presidency on Belarus," Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Grigory Karasin said in an interview with the Russian daily
newspaper, Izvestia.

"In an unacceptable, ultimatum-like form, Minsk has been offered
a range of possibilities for drawing closer to Europe in exchange
for the surrender of its sovereign right to take decisions on major
foreign policy issues," Karasin added.

Under the EaP program, Belarus and another five former Soviet
republics, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine,
will be granted 350 million euros ($448 million) in extra financial
assistance by 2013.

The Belarusian parliament is due to consider recognizing the two
republics on April 2.

Russia recognized the two states as independent on August 26, 2008. The
move came two weeks after the end of a five-day war with Georgia,
which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt
to regain control over the republic. So far, only Nicaragua has joined
Russia in acknowledging the sovereignty of the two republics.

The Foreign Ministries of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have also slammed
Schwarzenberg’s statement.

Karasin quoted Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry as saying it "posed a threat
to the Geneva talks under the EU’s auspices" that began last October.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia split from Georgia amid bloody post-Soviet
conflicts. The majority of residents of both republics have had
Russian citizenship for many years.