Sukhum/Agency Caucasus – Abkhazia’s Secretary of Security Council Stanislav Lakoba criticized the government for agreeing to have negotiations with envoys from the member countries of the European Union (EU) who currently reside in Georgia.
Lakoba expressed disapproval of the administration of Abkhazia whose sovereignty has recently been recognized on an international scale recently for allowing EU envoys to meet with Abkhaz officials in Sukhum because it, he said, damaged the national perspective on independence.
In his exclusive interview with Apsnypress, Lakoba sounded highly critical of the administration of Abkhazia welcoming in Sukhum the British Ambassador to Georgia Denis Keefe on December 29-30, 2008: "It was then said that it would constitute the last phase of talks with foreign envoys. But German and Czech ambassadors to Georgia will be welcome on January 28."
"It is unfortunate that the exceptions will become the rules," said Lakoba. Looked at from a political point of view, such contacts are simply ‘wrong.’ Although we want to host the EU envoys, there are other institutions there as well, such as EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus or British Special Representative for the South Caucasus. What becomes clear to us is that we ourselves are overshadowing our independence although it has been recognized by others."
Prior to Keefe’s trip, some Western analysts sought Lakoba’s opinion about the possibility of the Abkhaz administration meeting with foreign envoys in Georgia. Lakoba expressed his personal opinion against the talks between Abkhaz officials and foreign envoys in Georgia, because in the wake of Abkhazia’s acquisition of international recognition, Lakoba said, there would be no need for the talks to take place at all.
"They [foreign envoys] cannot give Abkhazia anything useful," Lakoba said to make his point more emphatic. "Obviously, not all the members of the Security Council of Abkhazia support this idea of mine," Lakoba said and asked: "If we do not stick to our principles and if we do not have self-respect, who else is supposed to show respect for us?"
ÖZ/FT
