Abkhazian President: Russian peacekeepers are our choice
Published 26 June, 2008, 11:38
The Georgian-Abkhazian conflict can only be resolved with Russia’s help, Abkhazian President Sergey Bagapsh said after a meeting with President Medvedev in Moscow on Thursday. He also said Abkhazia does not see an alternative to the Russian peacekeepers and there can be no other peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia.
Bagapsh stressed that Abkhazia rejects any attempt to oust Russia from this process.
“Abkhazia has made its historical choice – it is a rapprochement with Russia. We will not deviate from this path,” he added.
For his part, Medvedev urged Abkhazia and Georgia to honour a ceasefire signed in Moscow in 1994, as well as UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict.
Abkhazia's push for independence from Georgia led to a bloody war in the early 90s.
Russian peacekeepers have since been in the region on a UN mandate, separating the conflicting sides.
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