Russian Lawmakers Urge Recognition of Breakaway Georgian Regions

The Russian parliament has voted unanimously to recommend the government recognize the independence of the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetian and Abkhazia. VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports from Moscow the move could be a violation of the 1975 Helsinki Agreement, which fixed the post-War borders of Europe.

In an interview published in the French newspaper Liberation, Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia would represent an attempt to change Europe's borders by force. He cautioned the move would bring disastrous results to Russia and other countries.

In a sign that events in the Caucasus are affecting other ethnic minorities in Russia, the Tatar Independence Party, Ittifak," is circulating an appeal calling for the independence of Tatarstan, an oil-rich republic in central Russia. Tatars make up nearly 53 percent of the population, followed by ethnic Russians at nearly 40 percent. The remainder includes such ethnic groups as the Chuvashes, Udmurts, Maris, and Bashkirs.  

The Ittifak appeal notes that Tatarstan's majority voted for independence in 1992, but was denied international recognition because of pressure and threats from Moscow.