Russia has lifted a ban on trade and economic, financial, transport and other ties with Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia along its border, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.
"The cancellation of sanctions against Abkhazia complies with the generally-established international principle of step-by-step relaxation and annulment of imposed measures, when the parties under these measures fulfill the corresponding demands of the international community," the ministry said in a statement.
Although the Abkhazian side has been fulfilling all obligations under the settlement plan between Tbilisi and Sukhumi, the Georgian side has not demonstrated a matching constructive approach, it said.
"Against this backdrop, the maintenance of the bans, set by the resolution (of the CIS Council of the Heads of State) makes no sense, obstructs the implementation of socio-economic programs in the region and dooms the people of Abkhazia to unjustified hardships," the ministry said.
The ministry has sent an official note to the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), informing it of the Russian withdrawal from the sanctions regime.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also announced that its note to the CIS Executive Committee conveys a proposal to other CIS countries "to take similar steps and withdraw from the regime of restrictions with regards to Abkhazia."
On Feb.16, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it will take into account the proclamation of Kosovo's independence in its policy toward Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Tbilisi says gained support from Moscow.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia have hereafter asked for recognition on their self-proclaimed independence after Kosovo, a former Serbian province run by the UN administration since 1999, declared independence on Feb. 17.
Source:Xinhua
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