Eduard Shevardnadze says Georgia must recognize Abkhazia’s independenceJune 28, 2011 - 18:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said it would be “wise” for Georgia to recognize Abkhazia as an independent country. “It’s clear Abkhazia can’t be a normal region of Georgia any longer,” Shevardnadze said in an interview published in the Asaval-Dasavali newspaper. Recognizing the region would improve relations between Georgians and Abkhazians, he added, the newspaper said. Shevardnadze was responding to comments by Mamuka Areshidze, an analyst at the Caucasus Strategic Research Center, who said two weeks ago that Georgia should consider recognizing Akhazia’s independence, Asaval-Dasavali reported. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, declared independence after a five-day war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008. Only Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and the South Pacific nation of Nauru recognize their independence. Georgia maintains Russia occupied the two regions after the conflict, Bloomberg reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Russian Ambassador to Armenia summoned to Moscow for consultations Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin has been summoned to Moscow for consultations. Armenian border troops stationed in Tavush Starting from May 24, the Armenian border troops officially take over the protection of sections of the border in the Tavush region. Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. |