Venezuela recognizes Abkhazia, South Ossetia as independent states

 

MOSCOW, Sept. 10  — Venezuela recognizes the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday.

    "Venezuela joins the recognition of the independent republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Chavez, who is on a two-day visit to Russia, said during talks with Medvedev in his residence near Moscow.

    "We recognize both republics starting from today," Chavez was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

    Medvedev thanked Chavez for recognizing the Georgian rebel regions, which broke away from Tbilisi’s rule during a war in the early 1990s.

    "Thank you Hugo, you have made a whole set of serious, important statements," Medvedev said.

    Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August last year, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia to try to retake the renegade region that borders Russia. In response, Moscow sent in troops to drive Georgian forces out of the region.

    Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states two weeks after the conflict ended.

    Venezuela is the third country to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia after Russia and Nicaragua.

Abhazia hopes swift recognition from Turkey

Abhazia hopes swift recognition from Turkey

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Thursday, 10 September 2009 21:23

DÖNDÜ SARIIŞIK, September 10, 2009  ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News Turkish foreign policy’s dilemma on the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict is rising to the surface once more. ‘We certainly hope that Turkey will recognize Abkhazia. There are some positive signals," Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said following his talks with high-ranked Turkish diplomat Ünal Çeviköz. The first-ever visit by a high-ranking Turkish diplomat to the self-proclaimed Abkhazia Republic has boosted the breakaway republic’s hopes of being recognized by Turkey.   “We certainly hope that Turkey will recognize Abkhazia. There are some positive signals but they have to be materialized. We’re waiting for a more active approach,” Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in a phone interview. Turkish Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Ünal Çeviköz visited Abkhazia on Thursday on the sidelines of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s official talks with Tbilisi. Georgian officials were informed in advance about Çeviköz meetings in Abkhazia, reaffirming that Turkey’s policy of protecting the territorial integrity and political unity of Georgia has not changed. Abkhazia announced its independence in 1999. But what changed the landscape was Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia last year after the war with Georgia. Nicaragua and Venezuela followed Russia, increasing the hopes of this tiny breakaway state. Turkish foreign policy’s dilemma on the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict rose to the surface once more after a Turkish vessel called Buket was seized in international waters by Georgian coast guards with accusation of smuggling oil to Abkhazia. The captain, Mehmet Öztürk, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, but was released on Monday as a result of Davutoğlu’s talks in Tbilisi. “The main topic was about the captured ship and our bilateral relations,” Foreign Minister Shamba said in the wake of his talks with Ambassador Çeviköz. Seeking alliance with Turkey With hope of a Turkish alliance, Shamba said: “We want Turkey to make its position clear that the capture of a Turkish ship in international waters is not admissible. It is in the interest of regional stability to prevent any escalation from taking place.” “The talks were constructive,” he said, declining to give further details. Shamba complained about the lack of direct transportation links with Turkey and urged that Abkhazian diaspora are deeply in need of it. Turkey, however, still supports the economic sanctions imposed against Abkhazia by the Commonwealth of Independent States. “We’d like to develop economic and humanitarian contact with Turkey. We request opening of communications and passenger transport. It is a big interest because we are neighbors and we have a big Abkhazian diaspora in Turkey,” he said. Around 500,000 Turkish citizens consider themselves to be of Abkhazian origin. Ambassador Çeviköz’s visit gave hope to those who have been lobbying for recognition of the Abkhazia Republic. Asked if he was assured that Turkey shifted its policy and might soon recognize Abkhazia, Shamba replied: “It is difficult to say now, but we’ll closely follow the situation and we’d like to maintain contacts with Turkish representatives.” In response to Shamba’s remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Özügergin underscored that “there is no policy change in the Caucasus” in an interview with the Daily News. Help us to blockade the sea Apart from the recognition, the Abkhazian foreign minister also expects Turkey to mediate to stop the sea-blockade imposed on them. Asked what measures they are considering to break the Georgian blockade, he hinted that armed actions are on the agenda, saying: “We are now counter-playing different forms of actions … The actions will be appropriate if needed. Symmetrical actions with the Georgian side – we will see. We hope that this incident is the last one.” In the hope to intensify political contacts, Shamba expects to have talks in Ankara as well, saying: “We have constant contacts at different levels. If it is needed we can visit. It is possible in the near future, but it’s not yet fixed on the agenda.” Without hinting at a visit from Abkhazia to Ankara for talks, Özügergin noted: “It is natural to pay attention to this case due to Turkey’s (geographical and political) position and Abkhazian origin population. Our main aim is to contribute to a permanent peaceful solution for the problem."

Russia to protect ships bound for Abkhazia

 

Russia to protect ships bound for Abkhazia

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:06:23 GMT

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Russian border guards will help protect ships bound for Georgia’s rebel Abkhazia region, the republic’s border guard chief Zurab Marganiya says.

"Russia’s agreement with Abkhazia on joint patrolling of state borders includes joint activities on ensuring security in the republic’s territorial waters," Marganiya said as quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"Russian and Abkhazian border guards are currently working out a plan of joint actions to stop the Georgian border guards’ piracy in the Black Sea," he added, without elaborating.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another Georgian rebel region, South Ossetia, as independent states following an August 2008 five-day war with Georgia.

Tbilisi has accused Russia, which has stationed thousands of troops in both regions, of seeking to annex the territories.

Hear Abkhazia

Some people in Abkhazia are concerned that they only have one international ally, and would like to develop links with European Union countries to reduce their dependence on Russia.

"The situation forced us into these circumstances," Inal Khasig, an independent Abkhaz journalist, said.

"It’s also the fault of the international community, Europe and the United States, which have been constantly denying us the possibility of having our own state, so practically, this pushed us into Russia’s sphere of influence."

 "Russians did not protect us because they are in love with Abkhazia and Ossetia," Leon Adzhindzhel, member of the local Foundation for Independent Expertise, and an expert on regional issues told IPS. "Their rapid and massive involvement in Southern Caucasus has been very costly; 74 billion dollars of capital flew from Russia during the war last summer, but it was necessary in order to avoid an explosion in the Northern Caucasus."

Northern Caucasus, where many autonomous republics of the Russian Federation such as Northern Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan are situated, remains a highly volatile region. Paused conflicts and quasi-civil wars between pro-Russian elites and separatists loom in many of them.

Adzhindzhel believes Georgia launched the aggression in order to provoke the dormant ethnic conflicts in the Northern Caucasus. "If fighting had carried on too long, the Caucasus would explode. Imagine that the day after Georgia’s attack, Ossetian newspapers went out saying that Russia betrayed Ossetia."

For now Russia has responded and has tamed its geopolitical opponents. But the challenge of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment without selling off the beauty of the region and the fortune of locals to big business interests is going to be a difficult one.

It is still not late for the Europe to do the right thing.

 

Fatima Tlisova: My voice for Abkhazia

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 16:21

 

Georgia takes the front pages and news topics once again a year after the short but violent war last August. There are tons of analyses in the media around the world but I believe that my voice as the one who was born in the Caucasus and who reported from the region for 12 years for western media deserves to be heard. I am not going to give any analyses or expertise. I simply have the bunch of “did you know?” and “why?” questions that I want to address to the people who make decisions.   The “did you know?” questions are very simple but must be answered I believe.

So, did you know that ethnic Abkhazians consist only 30% of population of Abkhazia? 

Did you know that the remaining 70% shared equally by Jews and Armenians?

Did you know that the statistics of the people who died in early 90-th fighting for Freedom of Abkhazia against Georgia is similar to the ethnic picture? 
If you go to the capitol of Abkhazia Sukhum and look for the Memorial of the Heroes of Independence, you will be surprised how many Armenian, and Jewish names are written on that stone. 

Did you know how Abkhazians became ethnic minority on their land? 

Did you know that Abkhazians fought against Russian invasion for more that 150 years together with their kin Circassians?

Look for the answers in the archives of the Tsarist Russia. You will find detailed description of the most brutal mass atrocities and ethnic cleansing that contemporary scholars call genocide. 

Did you know that 99% of Abkhzians were massacred or deported to Ottoman Turkey in the end of 19 century? At that time Georgia was an ally of Russia and it was from the Georgian land that the Russian military forces attacked Abkhazia.  

Did you know that Abkhazia became part of Georgia as a gift to the Homeland by Josef Stalin, ethnic Georgian and most brutal dictator of the USSR? That simple. 

Did you know that 100% of people of Abkhazia answered ‘NO’ to the question about possible union with Russia? Which makes clear that Abkhazia will never accept Russia closer than an unwelcome ally. If Russia tries to take Abkhazia its people will be fighting on two fronts. Hopelessly enough but surely fighting for their right to live free. It is western fault that people of Abkhazia do not have any other choices except being Russian ally. 

Here comes the first of my ‘why’ questions: if the Jews and Armenians were happy with Georgian authority why did they choose to fight for Abkhazia instead of taking Georgian side?  Why did no one in the west ask a simple question: What if there is something wrong with the Georgian ethnic policies?

What do we have now? Three nations that have once undergone genocide now fighting together for their right to live free against the aggressor that strangely enough is backed up by the western nations, claimed to be the role models of the universal moral principles.  

Supporting Georgia is the duty of any democratic state, because… and here you have a long list that is more than enough to justify any action on behalf of Georgia, even War.  

But, where are the universal principles of Humanity?  What does the West share with the nations that practice brutal violence against smaller nations? Geopolitical interests? Do geopolitical interests have to remain a cemetery for moral principles in the changing world? If the answer is yes, than my last ‘why’ is very personal: why should I, the Citizen of the Planet Earth continue to believe in legitimacy of the global institutions?

Russia signs border deal with Abkhazia, S. Ossetia

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia signed a deal with Georgia’s two breakaway regions Thursday giving Moscow the power to guard their borders — a move sharply criticized in Tbilisi.

President Dmitry Medvedev and the leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia signed the agreements at a Kremlin ceremony nearly nine months after the brief war between Russia and Georgia.

The deal is an apparent attempt to legitimize the presence of thousands of Russian troops in the separatist regions, which were at the center of the war.

Russia will guard the borders of both regions including Abkhazia’s territorial waters in the Black Sea, according to the agreement.

After humiliating Georgia’s army, Russia strengthened its control over the two regions and also took over swaths of territory that had been under Georgia’s control before the war.

The U.S. and European Union consider this a violation of the cease-fire, which required all forces to pull back to positions held before the fighting in August.

Moscow’s position was that the cease-fire had been superseded by subsequent agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In signing Wednesday’s deal with Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh and South Ossetia leader Eduard Kokoiti, Medvedev indicated that Russia’s intention was to strengthen this claim.

"This without any doubt is a political act," Medvedev said. "These documents develop the agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance that were signed some time ago in this hall."

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili condemned Wednesday’s deal.

"We are seeing some kind of legal maneuvering to try to legalize, but you cannot legalize something that is fundamentally illegal," he told reporters in Warsaw, Poland. "It is very dangerous to everybody, including Russia itself."

Medvedev suggested that Georgia’s Western partners were jeopardizing the cease-fire through actions that could be seen by the Georgian government as supporting its efforts to rebuild its military. He pointed specifically to NATO military exercises beginning next week in Georgia, calling them an "open provocation."

"Military exercises should not be held where relatively recently there was a war," Medvedev said.

Sochi Will Let Abkhaz Residents Vote

24 April 2009The Moscow TimesSochi mayoral candidate Boris Nemtsov criticized a decision by election officials to allow people from Abkhazia with Sochi residency permits to vote in Sunday’s election.

This decision is "unprecedented even for Putin’s Russia" and the Abkhaz vote will effectively "join the republic to the city," Nemtsov wrote on his Internet blog Thursday.

The Sochi election committee ruled this week that thousands of Abkhaz people with Russian citizenship and Sochi residency permits could participate in the election, which is favored to be won by acting Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov, United Russia’s candidate. The decision is upheld by election law.

Nemtsov said the ruling would further tarnish the legitimacy of the vote and could lead to an international scandal. Russia has issued passports to most residents of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, which Moscow recognized as independent last year. No other country except Nicaragua has recognized the separatist republic as independent.