Separatist Leaders Call For Universal Self-Determination
June 14, 2006
Igor Smirnov, leader of Transdniester (file photo) (ITAR-TASS)
Montenegro's declaration of independence in May has prompted renewed calls by the three regions to be recognized as independent states by the international community.
In a joint declaration at the end of a two-day meeting in Sukhumi, Abkhazia's Sergei Bagapsh, South Ossetia's Eduard Kokoity,and Transdniester's Igor Smirnov vowed to support each other's independence aspirations.
They also called for the continued deployment of Russian troops on their territory, saying that stability in the regions they govern depends on the presence of Russian-led peacekeepers.
The three regions, none of which has been unrecognized internationally, broke away from Georgia and Moldova in civil wars after the 1991 Soviet collapse. All three maintain close ties with Russia.
(ITAR-TASS, Interfax)