The head of Georgia's self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, on Friday called on the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to lift sanctions imposed on his region, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
"The continuation of sanctions against Abkhazia is blocking normalization," Ardzinba said in a letter to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the chairman of the CIS council of heads of state.
Ardzinba accused the CIS of taking the Georgian government's side in its conflict with Abkhazia by supporting Georgia's demand that the peacekeeping forces deployed in the region become an active security force.
"The Georgian side is constantly demanding that the peacekeeping mission be changed into an operation for compelling peace," he said.
"It is actually trying to eliminate all results of the lengthy negotiating process.
Unfortunately, in this the Georgian leadership has the support of the CIS." The Abkhaz leader called for the CIS peacekeeping operation to be continued in its current form.
"So far peacekeepers have been performing their duties quite effectively, which is indicated by the lasting peace in the region," Ardzinba said.
Abkhazia appreciated Russia's role in the operation, he added.
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