Georgian, Moldovan Separatists Pledge Cooperation

(RFE/RL) June 14, 2006 -- The separatist leaders of Georgia's breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Moldova's Transdniester vowed to support each other's independence aspirations.

In a joint declaration at the end of a two-day meeting in the Abkhaz capital of Sukhumi, Abkhazia's Sergei Bagapsh, South Ossetia's Eduard Kokoity, and Transdniester's Igor Smirnov said peoples' right to self-determination is universal and should not be upheld selectively.

In an apparent reference to last month's referendum in which Montenegro voted to break away from a union with Serbia, Bagapsh told RFE/RL on June 13 that the international community should not apply double standards when it comes to self-determination.

"I think that in an international legal sense, Abkhazia and all the republics that are represented here have a much stronger case for international recognition," he said. "There's just one thing I don't understand -- the double standard, when somebody is allowed [to choose independence] and somebody is not. Take a look at our history and it will be clear that [independence] is a completely feasible thing."

They also called for the continued deployment of Russian troops on their territory. They said stability in the regions depends on the presence of Russian-led peacekeepers.

The three internationally unrecognized regions broke away from Georgia and Moldova in civil wars after the 1991 Soviet collapse. All three maintain close ties with Russia.

(with ITAR-TASS, Interfax, AP)