EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Russia Warns Abkhaz Opposition Over Unrest

EURASIA INSIGHT

RUSSIA WARNS ABKHAZ OPPOSITION OVER UNREST
11/13/04
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Russia has cautioned against unrest in Georgia’s breakaway republic of Abkhazia, saying it will take any steps it will deem necessary to defend its interests in the region.

Supporters of Abkhazia’s opposition presidential contender, Sergei Bagapsh, took control of the main administrative buildings in the Abkhaz capital Sukhum November 12. Reports say one woman died of wounds received during clashes with police.

Bagapsh later urged his supporters to vacate the buildings and pledged to open dialogue with hiding government officials to avoid further confrontation.

"Here are our next steps: let’s calmly leave the area once our demonstration is over. Let’s go back to our headquarters and assess the whole situation. Let us assume lawfully the power that you won," he said.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement, however, described the events as an "attempted coup" that threatens to destabilize the situation in the region.

Moscow -- which helped Abkhazia secede from Georgia in the 1990s -- also said it would hold Bagapsh responsible for further developments in the Black Sea province.

Abkhazia’s election officials declared Bagapsh the winner of the disputed October 3 presidential polls. But the outgoing administration has ignored the decision, claiming the vote was fraudulent.

The Central Eurasia Project aims, through its website, meetings, papers, and grants, to foster a more informed debate about the social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program of the Open Society Institute-New York. The Open Society Institute-New York is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open societies around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and controversial issues.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Open Society Institute and are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.