DUMA SHOULD CONSIDER ABKHAZIA, S. OSSETIA INDEPENDENCE REQUEST
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
February 27, 2008
Russia
Russian parliamentarians should take a responsible approach toward
considering Sukhumi’s and Tskhinvali’s request that Russia recognize
Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence, Georgian parliamentary
Chairman Nino Burjanadze said.
"I believe the Russian deputies will give an appropriate answer to this
[request], because, if encouraging separatism is dangerous to anyone,
then this is primarily Russia itself," Burjanadze told journalists
on Wednesday.
"We will wait for this answer, and then our relevant reaction will
follow," she said.
Burjanadze also suggested that the situation in Kosovo cannot be
compared to the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
>From one’s part Georgia’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that a
suggested decision by Russia to recognize breakaway regions in former
Soviet countries as independent states "would set off an uncontrolled
chain reaction that would threaten Russia itself, among others."
David Bakradze made the point in a comment for journalists on reports
that the Russian State Duma is expected to have a hearing on a
suggestion for Russia to recognize the Georgian regions of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia and the Moldovan province of Transdniestria as
independent nations.
Earlier first deputy head of this Duma committee, CIS Studies Institute
Director Konstantin Zatulin told Interfax: "The Duma committee for
CIS affairs and compatriots asked the Council of the State Duma to
hold parliamentary hearings on the settlement of ethnic conflicts
in the post-Soviet territories and the recognition of Abkhaz, South
Ossetia and Transdniestrian independence on March 13".
"The State Duma Council should look into this motion on March 4,"
the MP said.
It is planned that speakers of the Abkhaz, South Ossetian,
Transdniestrian and Nagorno-Karabakh parliaments, as well as
representatives of Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Armenian will be
invited for the hearings, Zatulin said.
"Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdniestria asked Russia to recognize
their independence before the recent events in Kosovo," the MP said.
Speaking about the recognition of independence of these breakaway
republics, the MP said, "We should start the process of recognizing
the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."