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Abkhazia's NGOs ask Russian president to recognize republic

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  • Abkhazia's NGOs ask Russian president to recognize republic

    ITAR-TASS, Russia
    Aug 8 2005

    Abkhazia's NGOs ask Russian president to recognize republic

    SUKHUMI, August 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Abkhazia's non-governmental
    organizations have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin and
    Moscow's Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to recognize the self-proclaimed
    republic's independence.

    The call is contained in a message from the Coordinating Council of
    the non-governmental organizations of Russia and Abkhazia addressed
    to both officials.

    Affiliated to the Coordinating Council are fifteen organizations,
    including the Russian, Armenia, Greek, Jewish and Polish Communities
    and the local Black Sea chapter of the Kuban Cossacks.

    `Over 80 percent of Abkhazia's residents are Russian citizens and the
    number of Russian citizens resident in Abkhazia has been growing with
    every day. Those who still do not have Russian citizenship have so
    far been unable to pay for citizenship and passport acquisition
    procedures.'

    The Coordinating Council argues that Abkhazia is not part of Georgia
    and is free to decide its future on its own. To support this claim it
    mentions a number of legal acts adopted in the last days of the USSR,
    and in the first post-Soviet years, as well as results of plebiscites
    held at that time.

    The authors of the message say that Russia is a legal successor of
    the Soviet Union and those legal acts are still effective.

    The Coordinating Council asked for easing border-crossing procedures
    on the Russian-Abkhazian border and for considering Abkhazia's
    admission to Russia in the capacity of an associate member.

    `Abkhazia has been with Russia since 1810 and we are hoping that this
    shall be so further on, in compliance with the testament of our
    ancestors,' the message says.
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