Let Abkhazia have freedom and openness, recommends Wall Street Journal

A small paper flag of Abkhazia pinned to a map hanging on the office wall of the country's Deputy Foreign Ministe, in Sukhumi

NEW YORK (Tiraspol Times) - In its latest editorial on the 'de facto' independent republic of Abkhazia, New York based The Wall Street Journal recommends freedom and openness for the new and emerging country.

The Wall Street Journal is one of the largest American newspapers and has a worldwide daily circulation of more than 2 million, along with 931,000 paying online subscribers.

The newspaper's recommendation comes less than two months after Kosovo declared independence, and at a time when Abkhaz-Georgian-Russian tensions have been putting peacekeepers in the region on high alert.

In its op-ed, The Wall Street Journal also admits that Abkhazia is probably not going to be part of Georgia ever again.
From the newspaper:

"Abkhazia is now virtually lost to Georgia — almost as lost as Kosovo is to Serbia. The only chance for Tbilisi to reverse this process and see Georgian refugees ever returning to their home is, paradoxically, to let go. Tbilisi should open up Abkhazia and free it from dependence on Russia. That means lifting sanctions and permitting a sea link to Turkey and the re-opening of a railway line connecting it with Western Georgia."

To slow down the nation building efforts of Abkhazia, Georgia and Russia have both had long-standing air, sea and transport blockades in place for years.

Russia recently lifted its blockade and is now allowing transport links with Abkhazia to function normally. However, Georgia still maintains its blockade and its policy of isolating the Abkhazian population. Ships attempting to reach the Black Sea ports of Abkhazia are also turned back at sea as a result of the military blockade imposed by Georgia.

Not part of Georgia

Abkhazia is today a de facto independent republic which has not yet gotten formal international recognition. It is located between Georgia and Russia on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. The capital is Sukhumi.

Unlike Kosovo, which was Serbia's historical heartland, Abkhazia was never a traditional historical or ethnic part of Georgia. In the same way, Pridnestrovie (Transdniestria) has no historical or ethnic-majority ties to Moldova.

Following the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991, Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 1992 and subsequently fought for independence from 1992 to 1993. The independence war resulted in Georgia's military defeat, with Georgians leaving Abkhazia, and subsequently the signing of a ceasefire accord in 1994 which is today monitored by military observers from the United Nations.

Abkhazia was once an independent kingdom, and in the early days of the Soviet Union it was a separate union republic with a status similar to that of Georgia before Stalin - himself a Georgian - eliminated Abkhazia's statehood and brought the republic into Georgia. This was done against the will of the ethnic Abkhazians who several times throughout the Soviet era demanded the restoration of their status as a full republic separate from rival Georgia. (With information from The Wall Street Journal)

See also:
» Abkhazia expects int'l recognition of its de-facto independence
» UN urges Georgia to respect Abkhazia cease-fire
» Abkhazia signs treaty with Pridnestrovie; pushes for statehood recognition