Georgia's rebel Abkhazia calls for independence recognition

SUKHUMI, Georgia (AFP) - Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia appealed to the international community Friday to recognize its self-declared independence, citing Kosovo as a precedent.

"After the recognition of the independence of Kosovo by a large number of Western states... conditions favourable to the recognition of Abkhazia's independence have appeared," the Abkhaz parliament said in a statement.

The statement called on the United Nations and individual countries to "consider the recognition of the republic of Abkhazia as an independent, sovereign state."

A separate statement called on Russia's lower and upper houses, the State Duma and Federation Council, to do the same.

The Duma will consider the issue at a hearing on March 13, the deputy chairman of its international affairs committee, Leonid Slutsky, told Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency.

The declaration followed a similar vote on Wednesday by Georgia's other separatist region, South Ossetia, which also cited Kosovo in a call for the international community to recognize its self-declared independence.

The two regions' rebel leaders, Sergei Bagapsh of Abkhazia and Eduard Kokoity of South Ossetia, told Interfax that their provinces had as much right to independence as Kosovo.

"We call on the international community to refuse double standards and recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Bagapsh said.

"For us the situation with the recognition of Kosovo is a precedent and all talk of the uniqueness of that case is not credible."

Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia in conflicts in the early 1990s in which thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands of ethnic-Georgians were forced to leave their homes.

With economic and diplomatic support from Russia, the two Caucasus mountain provinces have existed as de facto independent states since then.

However, no country, including Russia, recognises their independence and Georgia says it intends to restore control.

Moscow fought unsuccessfully to prevent Western recognition of Kosovo's independence from Russian ally Serbia, warning Kosovo could serve as a precedent for other separatist struggles.

Friday's vote came as Georgia summoned Russia's ambassador and handed him a note to protest a decision by Moscow on Thursday to lift trade restrictions imposed on Abkhazia in 1996.

The Georgian foreign ministry said in a statement that Russia's move was "an extremely dangerous provocation that encourages separatism and aims to deepen tensions in the conflict zone."

The statement accused Moscow of "trying to violate Georgia's sovereignty."

Georgia said the sanctions had prevented Russia from supplying arms to Abkhazia and accused Moscow of preparing "the basis for providing the separatist government with military assistance."

Kosovo Is A Precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh

Now that Kosovo gained its independence Nagorno-Karabakh's international recognition should come next. If freedom is permitted for one nation, it's permitted for all nations.

Last month Kosovo proclaimed its independence and many European countries and USA quickly recognized Kosovo as an independent country.

There has been much talk about Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia and if Kosovo is a precedent or not for these republics.

Some have said Kosov is a precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh and other smaller republics to gain independence and live free of oppression, some have said it is not.

Our question is why not?

Why should one nation be allowed to live free and another should not be allowed that? Which one is the standard? Freedom for all? Or freedom for the select?

Those who say Kosovo is not precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh should know that even during Soviet time Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous region inside Azerbaijan and according to Soviet constitution had the right for self-determination. People of Nagorno-Karabakh are Christians and Azerbaijan, which is predominantly Muslim, has continuously oppressed the rights of the christian Armenian minority in Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region. Therefore, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh according to the constitution of USSR (before the Soviet Union collapsed) stood up for their rights and the parliament proclaimed its independence from Azerbaijan. People of Azerbaijan started killing Armenians in mass murders, in Sumgait in 1988 and in the capital Baku in 1990 just because these people were Armenians. To this day Azerbaijan speaks from the point of view of force. Their president Ilham Aliev keeps speaking something like this: "we will sell our oil, will buy more arms and will start war to get Armenians out of Nagorno-Karabakh."

In the meanwhile in Nagorno-Karabakh, already 20 years out of Azerbaijan's oppression there is a new generation that does not know what it means to leave under Azerbaijan. Who and how is going to convince this young generation that you need to leave under Azerbaijan? Who and how is going to convince the older generation to go and leave under those who constantly murdered them?

Kosovo is a wonderful precedent not only for Nagorno-Karabakh, but for all nations that seek freedom from oppression.

American Council for Kosovo - Kosovo as a Destabilizing Precedent

Georgia's rebel Abkhazia calls for independence recognition

Kosovo Is A Precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh